Swan Dive
by Kendra Luehr
Summary: Many years ago, Gold found himself bedding a young Emma Swan. Now that they are reunited in Storybrooke, he will stop at nothing to reclaim the woman and child who are rightfully his... Eventual GoldxEmma. Now COMPLETE.
1. Brushing with the Past

**A/N****: **I've seen many people theorize that Henry is Gold's child, so I wanted to try my hand at that idea. I admittedly don't believe he IS Gold's boy, but I still think it's a very fascinating concept. Also, the love scene in this chapter is VERY tame and practically non-descript, because I want their second encounter to be the deeply involved/descriptive one. This is probably the least descriptive I've ever been, so this is a new one for me... lol

In the past portion of this chapter, Emma is eighteen and coming back from her senior prom, so there isn't any pedo going on. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. With that said, please read, review, and enjoy!

**CH 1: Brushing with the Past**

_Ten Years Ago_

Gold sat in his car, staring blankly ahead as the rain continued to beat down in a steady, ceaseless flow. Although the fairytale characters were condemned to remain in Storybrooke for all time, Regina had allowed Gold to leave for one night and one night only. Convincing her wasn't hard; in fact, it was quite easy, considering the fact she owed him enough favors to last two lifetimes.

In truth, he wasn't sure why he'd been driven to leave - perhaps a lapse of sanity? - but whatever the reason, he'd traveled aimlessly until he'd come to a city that intrigued him. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but there was a force afoot that _compelled_ him to stay.

As if on cue, a soft, feminine figure appeared on the horizon, her heels clacking against the sidewalk as her golden head bowed in shame. She wore a lavender prom dress that gave her a princess-like appearance, and her soft curls were pulled back with barrettes into an elegant bun. Although it was raining heavily, Gold could see that the young beauty was crying - _sobbing,_ even. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were streaked with mascara, and judging by the way she was unsteadily walking, it was quite evident that she was drunk.

Deciding to intervene, Gold grabbed his coat and immediately stepped out into the freezing rain. The blonde, however, didn't even spare him a second glance. Not discouraged in the slightest, Gold approached the downtrodden woman with a disarming smile, his hand holding out to her as he greeted, "Hello, there... Might I be of some assistance?"

The blonde finally looked up, but she seemed more annoyed than relieved by his presence.

"I'm Mr. Gold of Storybrooke," he greeted, not even caring that he'd reverted to a more archaic form of speech. "Who might you be, my dear?"

"Emma Swan," she mumbled, sounding a bit sluggish as she walked.

Gold's lips curled up into a delighted leer. "Emma?" he reiterated, his heart giving a leap of recognition. "Such a pretty name... Would you like some shelter from the cold, my dear Emma?"

The girl finally stopped, her crying seeming to subside as she considered his proposition. After a moment's hesitation, she gave a listless shrug, then dizzily walked toward Gold and his outstretched hand. Taking the coat that he offered, she slipped her arms through the sleeves and entered the passenger side of the car.

Once Gold was also inside the vehicle, he turned to the shivering girl and asked, "What has made you so sad this evening, Miss Swan? A prom is supposed to be a joyous occasion, not one for heartache and sadness."

Emma shrugged, but her consumption of alcohol made her more willing to talk. "Well, what can I say? Bobby's a total asshole... I-I wouldn't put out for him, so he...he..." Bursting into tears, she placed her head in her hands and sobbed, her shoulders heaving along with her sorrow as Gold placed a hand against her back.

"There, there, my dear, it's not really all _that_ bad, is it?"

Emma whimpered before nodding. "Y-yes, it is... That skeezy bastard took Mara to his car, and he...ugh, he fucked _her_ instead of me 'cause I wouldn't put out!"

Gold pursed his lips at this news, but he was unfazed. This girl was intriguing to him, because he knew she was Storybrooke's only hope - he could feel it in his bones.

With his hand creeping up along Emma's neck, he brushed back a stray lock of hair and soothed, "It's alright, my pet - I'll take you to a hotel so you can catch your breath and relax. No need to fret over a boy unworthy of your time, am I right?"

Emma raised her tear-stained face and regarded Gold curiously. "Wh-why are you being so nice to me? You don't even know who I am...not in a literal sense, anyway."

Hmm, so she was an intelligent drunk...he'd skirt around that later.

With a cunning smile, Gold lowly assured her, "Not to worry, Emma-love, I mean you no harm - I just believe in being a Good Samaritan, that's all."

Emma finally seemed to notice his hand on her cheek, and her eyes took on a mischievous sparkle. Gold knew that look - he'd seen it many times on the faces of scorned women - so it was no true surprise to him when her lips demandingly sought his. He was nothing more than a rebound to this girl, but that didn't bother him since he, himself planned on using this "Emma Swan" at a later date.

With fumbling hands, Gold managed to gather enough wits to drive toward the nearest hotel. Emma had cupped and groped at him the entire way there; so much so, in fact, that after their arrival Gold could barely walk to the front desk.

He'd listed Emma as his sister in the registry book, but he could tell that the hotel clerk didn't believe him. Although the sight of an older, visibly aroused man and a _clearly_ drunken girl set off several warning bells, all scruples were tossed aside once the clerk's pay was doubled.

Gold was thanked profusely for his generosity, and then he assisted his intoxicated conquest to their room. It was pitch black upon entry, and the two blindly groped at one another as they staggered toward the bed. Clothes were discarded in haste, and Gold grunted the moment the blonde succubus mounted him. He had to smile at that, because she had a very commanding and domineering air. She was her father through and through.

Within moments, the room was filled with the sounds of Emma's soft, breathy moans, and Gold's stifled grunts. They were tangled in a mass of quivering animal sex, and Gold's slow, yet forceful thrusts were enough to drive Emma over the edge in moments.

Ah, sweet little Emma...

Although having grown rather fond of her company, Gold had departed before she'd awoken the next morning, and had returned to Storybrooke without another thought toward the blonde. Some time after his arrival, however, he'd been informed by Regina that he was going to be a father. He wasn't quite sure why she'd felt the need to send her spies after him - he was always a man of his word - yet in some way, he was actually grateful to this news. Long, long ago he'd once had a boy of his own, so to think he might be given a second chance rather excited him.

That is, until Regina had announced the boy would be taken in under _her_ wing and not his. In fact, he wasn't even supposed to come near the boy. But because of their "just say please" agreement, Regina was forced to give something in exchange for being the boy's caregiver. With much hesitation, she finally relented to the following: Regina could keep the boy, but _only_ if she promised that when Storybrooke's "hope" finally _did_ arrive, Gold would be the only one allowed to touch her.

It was this arrangement that allowed Gold and Regina to live in (precarious) harmony. That is, until _she_ came back into the picture...

_Present Day_

Gold re-stacked several worn, musty books just as the bell tinkled over the front door. "Good morning, how may I help you?" he asked, his disinterest evident as he continued to muse over Emma, Henry, and the wicked woman who'd imprisoned him.

"Gold?"

He immediately perked up, his head turning to behold the fiery blonde of his every whim and fancy. Ah, speak of the devil...

"Miss Swan," he acknowledged, grabbing a book before entering the front room to greet her. "It's always a pleasure to see you, my dear - might I be of some assistance?"

Somehow those words struck a cord in Emma - had she heard him say them before? - but she shrugged it off and explained, "I'm here to pick up the book Henry requested. He said you were giving it to him as a late birthday present."

"Ah, indeed I am," Gold returned, smiling as he held up the book in question. "And how is the boy, if you don't mind my asking?"

Emma paused. "He's doing well... I think. He's taking Graham's sudden death pretty hard."

"And you are as well, I see."

"No! I-I mean, I..." Sighing, she defensively returned, "Ok, so maybe I am. It's not every day I witness a fellow employee die right in front of me, you know."

"He was a good man," Gold agreed, smiling as he handed over the book. As he did so, their fingers touched ever-so-slightly, and Emma recoiled from the unwanted contact.

Immediately jerking back her hand, she tucked the book under her arm and muttered, "Thanks for everything, Mr. Gold. I'm hoping this book will help Henry get over those fairytales."

Gold appeared hopeful. "Perhaps you may grace me with your presence again soon, Miss Swan? That is, I'd very much like you to bring Henry so he can find more books."

Emma gave him a distrustful glance, yet she shrugged and agreed, "Alright, I...I think he'd like that. Thanks." Not even bothering to say goodbye (the man gave her the _creeps)_, she rushed toward the exit and bustled out into the street.

Gripping at his cane, Gold gave a wry smile and watched Emma until she was completely out of sight. _'Soon you will be mine again, my little swan,"_ he thought, his smile growing wider as he envisioned her writhing beneath him. _'Soon it will all be as it was before, and our little 'family' will end the terror of this sleepy little town.'_

Sending the streets one last look, Gold chuckled to himself and headed back toward his own personal library.


	2. Everything Comes at a Price

**A/N****: **I apologize for taking so long to update, but in all honesty, I wanted to wait until this weekend's episode came out before I continued. Buuut, last night inspiration randomly struck, and I found that I just couldn't help myself. :) And I've got to say, a lot of you are giving some good points on how Gold _could_ be Henry's father. If that happened, I could truly die happy...

**CH 2: Everything Comes at a Price**

"So who do you think Mr. Gold is?"

Henry looked up at his mom with perplexed eyes, yet he shrugged and returned his gaze back to the wharf. "I still don't know yet, but right now? I kind of don't care."

"Why?" Emma finished. Deep-down she knew she shouldn't be reinforcing such behavior, but somehow she was morbidly curious about his theories. When Henry remained silent, she nodded and softly asked, "It's Graham, isn't it? You're still upset."

"The curse killed him - I _know_ it did. If we keep getting closer to the truth, it might kill us, too!" Pausing, Henry dropped his gaze to his lap and added, "I thought we'd be safe since Regina wouldn't hurt us, but I never thought about the possibility of her hurting our friends..."

Emma furrowed her brows, but she said nothing. After all, what _could_ she say? The kid was obviously frightened, and her newfound curiosity about Gold wouldn't be enough to change his mind. On top of all that, she found it very telling how he never called Regina "mom." Granted, he never called _her_ mom, either, but that was expected since she'd just come back into the picture. But Regina? She'd been Henry's surrogate his entire life, so why couldn't he trust her? Was she truly as horrible as she seemed, or was she just insecure?

"Well, it's getting late," Henry finally spoke up. "I should probably be getting back now."

Emma blinked. _"Late?_ Henry, it's barely 7:30 AM! Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

With a forced smile on his freckled face, he nodded with as much cheer as he could muster and turned to go. "I'm really sorry, Emma, but we'll talk later, alright?"

"Yeah...sure, kid," she mumbled, yet she knew Henry hadn't heard her. With her hands in her pockets, she watched her son walk away and instantly felt a pang of dread.

After helping Ashley Boyd keep her child, she'd made a promise to Gold that he could call on her for a favor. Would this agreement somehow hurt Henry?

"No time to back out now, Emma - you're a woman of your word," she muttered. "...And now apparently I'm talking to myself, too. Awesome - _always_ a good sign."

Shoving her hands into her pockets, she kept her eyes on the ground and aimlessly walked the quaint, narrow streets until she found herself in front of...Gold's _pawn shop?_

"Great, now even my _feet_ are betraying me," she grumbled, yet she surprisingly kept walking toward the entrance. Although the man gave her the creeps, she knew she should check in on a few things (namely Ashley and if Gold had actually stayed away from her).

Entering the shop with purpose, Emma nearly recoiled in surprise when Gold popped up from behind the cash register.

"Jesus, you _scared _me!" she hissed, placing a hand over her heart. "What were you doing down there, looking for loose change? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you can find some in the till..."

Gold chuckled. "Your sense of humor never ceases to amuse me, Miss Swan. How may I help you today? Did Henry enjoy the book?"

"I just gave it to him, so I doubt he even started it," Emma admitted. Now cautiously coming toward him, she added, "In all honesty, I only came by so I could ask you something."

"Oh? And what might that be, my dear?"

Emma couldn't help but shudder, for Gold's eyes retained a look of carnal intrigue that made her want to puke. What was _with_ the man and his perverse undertones?

Shrugging it off, she tried her best to appear stern as she announced, "I'm here to ask if you've kept your end of the bargain, Mr. Gold. If you've so much as _contacted_ Ashley Boyd, our deal's off." When he opened his mouth to speak, she coolly cut in, "Yes, I'm fully aware that that's not how you "do things," but guess what? I'm not indebted to you in the slightest, so we'll be doing things _my_ way. There's no cop in the world who'll arrest me for a broken deal."

Mr. Gold smiled at this, yet it lacked all warmth. "I see... It's awfully_ early_ to come in with guns blazing, don't you think? I mean Ashley Boyd no harm, so you won't have to worry about my contacting her. A deal is a deal, and I never break my word."

Appearing satisfied, Emma felt a little beside herself as she gave a soft, "Good." Now glancing off to the side (she had a _damnable_ time trying to return his gaze), she turned to leave, but Gold surprised her by catching her wrist within his clutches.

Staring down at his hand as if it were a poisonous tentacle, Emma then lifted her gaze and frowned. "Do I have to arrest you for assaulting a Sheriff, Mr. Gold?"

He chuckled. _"Assault?_ My, my, you really have it in for me, don't you, my dear? I merely wanted to call in my favor!"

Paling, Emma wrested herself from his grasp and straightened her jacket. "Well? What is it you want?"

"It's simple, really... I'm a lonely man, so all I require is a bit of company." Smiling at the look on her face, he warmly assured her, "Not to worry, Miss Swan, I only expect you to accompany me for one evening, but if a friendship develops, I certainly won't complain."

Emma gave him a distrusting glare. "You said 'accompany you'...to _where, _exactly?"

"Why, to my home, of course! I would very much like you to have dinner with me this evening. Oh! And wear something _pretty."_

Feeling sick to her stomach, Emma tried not to make a face as she nodded. Good God, she'd rather clean out a leaf gutter with her _tongue_ than spend the evening with that unnerving, dirty old man.

Releasing the air from her lungs, she muttered a terse, "Fine," and headed for the exit. This time Gold didn't stop her, and she shivered as she felt his dark, gleaming eyes burning into her back.

#

"Mary Margaret, this is _not_ funny... Why are you laughing?"

"I'm _not,"_ she insisted with a smile. "It's just that maybe _now_ you'll realize you shouldn't jump into everything headfist."

"Funny, I thought it was _you_ who told me to take a chance every once in a while," Emma grumbled. "Just...ugh, what am I supposed to do? The man gives me the willies, so I can only hope and pray that he won't slip a roofie in my drink."

Mary Margaret stifled a giggle.

"Good God, would you _stop_ laughing? If my body's found the next morning, just know that _you_ won't be in my will."

"I'm sorry," Mary Margaret apologized, "it's just that...well...you're honestly stressing out over nothing. Gold may seem like a creeper, but I can assure you he's perfectly harmless. He mostly gets a bad rap since he hangs around the Mayor, if anything."

Emma tried to appear pleasant, but it was very non-commital. "Ok, that's all fine and dandy, but he told me he was lonely, and I'm pretty sure we all know what _that_ means."

For the first time Mary Margaret paled. "S-e-x? Oh, _gross,_ Emma! I don't even want to think of Gold functioning in that way!"

Now it was Emma's turn to laugh. "S-e-x? What are we, two? At least we both know you can spell now..." Smiling, she moved away from the kitchen counter and added, "What about you and Whale? Since you can't say sex like a mature adult, do you call it something else?"

"No... I'm just used to censoring myself since I'm around kids all day," Mary Margaret insisted, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of scarlet. "Very effective how you've managed to change the subject, by the way."

Emma smiled. "What? I _am_ genuinely interested in what happened with you and Whale. I really think you deserve to be happy, so if that guy _does_ make you happy, I say go for it."

"And _I_ say let's not discuss it," Mary Margaret mumbled. Her face appeared soft and wistful, and it was evident to Emma that she was thinking of David Nolan.

"Forget him," she urged. "He had his chance."

Mary Margaret sighed. "Well only if _you_ forget about Gold. You're developing stress wrinkles right before my very eyes."

Emma smiled at that, and responded with a soft, "Thanks for listening... I know I'm probably driving you crazy with my nonsense, so I'll just lock myself in my room and wait for the disasters of tonight's festivities. With any luck, the prophecy of 2012 will kick in before then."

Mary Margaret had to laugh. "Alright, I'll see you later, Emma. Just promise not to look _too _gorgeous, or else you'll never get rid of Gold."

Emma's smile gradually faded as she headed toward her bedroom. "I know, "she whispered, "that's what I'm afraid of..."

**A/N**: Okaaay, hopefully that wasn't _too_ bad, considering I've kept you waiting for a while. Reviews honestly help my inspiration the most -wink wink- so feel free to tell me what you think. ;)


	3. The Date from Hell

**A/N****: **HOLY CRAP, you guys, your reviews SERIOUSLY fueled my inspiration! Thank you so much! And of course, "Desperate Souls" helped a lot, too. ;) Is it just me, or is their sexual tension mounting with each episode? I AM IN LOVE. lol But in all seriousness, this is pretty much an update record for me. I usually take a week or two to finish a chapter, but all your reviews and theories pushed me just that much harder. :)

Before you dive in, I'd just like to explain something first. There will be a little bit of Gold x Emma goodness in here (I kind of couldn't resist), but no, they're not going to make love on their first date. Everything I've read about Gold x Emma always has Em as a dubious participant (even though I admittedly have no complaints about that lol), so when I _do_ get to the point where they're intimate, I actually want some emotional foundations in existence first. A reviewer further fueled my desire to do that, 'cause when she said the emotions tying them together made them "desperate souls," it sounded so romantic. ;P But yes, there _will_ be intimacy in this chapter...just not the way Gold wanted. :')

**CH 3: The Date from Hell  
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"Emma, _what_ are you doing?"

"I'm obviously riffling through your things," she returned, ignoring Mary Margaret's scowl as she continued to search her closet. "Good God, do you have _anything_ that doesn't scream "old schoolmarm"? Your fashion sense would make even a _nun_ slit her wrists..."

Mary Margaret shrugged. "Ok, but whatever happened to the whole "don't look too gorgeous" plan?"

"Gold told me to wear something "pretty," and no matter _how_ much that man makes my skin crawl, a deal's a deal... Though from the looks of things, I won't be able to find anything here," Emma muttered.

Mary Margaret suddenly brightened. "You wait right here, ok? I've been saving a little something for special occasions..." Patting Emma's shoulder before rushing off, the brunette momentarily returned with a plastic bag in tow.

"Where'd you get that from, the freezer?" Emma teased. "Only _you_ would keep a special dress in a completely different room than your clothes."

With a wry smirk, Mary Margaret handed her friend the bag, then urged, "Try it on and see if it fits."

"Why? Did I upgrade from schoolmarm to Sunday school teacher?" With a laugh at Mary Margaret's expression, she opened the bag and was momentarily speechless. A slinky blue cocktail dress greeted her bemused gaze, her mouth opening and closing before she finally choked out, "Holy hell, Mare, you actually came through... This must be for a _really_ special occasion, if you get my drift."

"Well, isn't having dinner with Gold special?" Mary Margaret innocently fished.

Catching the teasing undertones to her friend's voice, Emma's face went slack as she muttered a terse, "I hate you."

Giggling, Mary Margaret took a step back and announced, "Well, I'd better step out so you can get ready... If you want, I can come back in later and do your makeup."

"Gee thanks, _mom,"_ Emma gibed. "What are you trying to say about my makeup?"

"Nothing! I just...um...I'm gonna go."

Laughing as she watched Mary Margaret rush into the next room, Emma then returned her attention to the dress and sighed. It was certainly beautiful, but she didn't want to give Gold the wrong idea... And yet, there was no way in _hell_ she'd wear one of Mary Margaret's other dresses (she at least wanted to keep _some_ of her dignity intact), so it looked like she had no other choice in the matter.

Holding the dress up against her front, Emma turned toward the full-length mirror on the wall and grimaced. It was a bit short, but if Gold decided to try anything funny, she'd reach in her pocket and whip out her pepper spray.

Sparing the clock on the wall a fleeting glance, she sucked in a breath when she took note of the time. Five o'clock... Only two more hours until her dance with the devil.

* * *

><p>"Oh, Emma... You look <em>so<em> beautiful!"

Wincing, the blonde smoothed out the front of her dress and muttered, "Spectacular - with any luck, someone _else_ will find me attractive and kidnap me so I don't have to go. I seriously don't want to do this, Mare..."

"You'll be _fine,"_ Mary Margaret assured her. "I'll be home all night, so just call me if you run into any trouble. I'll always be there to rescue you in a jiff."

Emma smiled warmly. "Thanks a lot... Maybe I'm a masochist, but I'm kind of _hoping_ he'll try something so I can deck him across the face. You have _no_ idea how angry that man can make me."

"I have an idea," Mary Margaret returned, smirking. "Now as for _you,_ you'd better get going! Time is of the essence with Gold."

"Among other things," Emma muttered. Grabbing a dress coat off the hook, she said her goodbyes and found herself walking toward her car. Gold only lived a few blocks away, so she knew she wouldn't have much time to reflect. For starters, she didn't have a plan for what to do if things got...out of control. She expected Gold to keep his hands to himself, but if he so much as _looked _at her in the wrong way, she'd castrate him.

Re-adjusting her rear-view mirror, Emma sighed as she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "Go figure," she grumbled, only feeling slightly appeased when Gold's home loomed in the distance. It was a very ordinary house, which honestly surprised her since she'd been expecting something as peculiar as the owner.

Easing up into the driveway, she saw the front door open and groaned. Great, time for the ever-valued "Gold welcome"...

After parking the car and (unsteadily) stepping out in her high heels, Emma met Gold's warm smile with a glare as she approached him. She wasn't accustomed to being all dolled-up and feminine, so the fact he'd asked her to do this made her view it as a humiliation ploy.

Smarmy _bastard._

"Good evening, Miss Swan - so good of you to keep your promise," he greeted. Now taking her hand (even if the participant was unwilling), he helped her up the steps and inquired, "Are your heels bothering you, my dear? It's almost as if you're learning to walk."

Emma gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh yes, that's me, Miss "Sea Legs" Swan! In case you haven't noticed, Gold, I don't exactly _like_ wearing girly stuff too often...makes it harder to intimidate men such as yourself."

"Point taken," Gold assured her, yet he was smiling as he led her inside. With his hand on the small of Emma's back, he momentarily thought of dipping his hand even lower, but the urge was quelled when Emma tore away from his grasp.

"Nice place you got here...creepy, but archaic. Just like you," she gibed.

Her snide undertones weren't lost on Gold, and he smiled as he returned, "You look beautiful this evening, Miss Swan. I hope you'll enjoy what I have planned."

Emma scoffed. "I compliment your house, then you compliment my appearance? I think you were supposed to say "thank you," but then, it's rare to meet a man who can readily accept a compliment."

"Forgive me, but I wasn't aware there _was_ a compliment amidst that barb."

"Hmm...touché," Emma acknowledged, smiling for the first time that evening. "You were saying you had something planned?"

"Just dinner and conversation, although I'm admittedly fond of spontaneity as of late." Now taking his guest by the elbow, Gold led her toward a large, dimly lit back room. Emma could feel the heat rising in her cheeks when she took note of the table, because it completely _screamed_ "romantic dinner."

"Oh, sweet Jesus..."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, sweet...cheeses?" Emma lamely provided. "I-I mean, what kind of cheese is that?"

Quirking a brow, Gold had to smile as he explained, "My dear girl, that isn't cheese, it's _steak."_

"I...let's just sit down." Breaking away from her "date" as though he had the plague, Emma said a little prayer before having a seat. She'd already beaten him to the table, so that meant she didn't have to put up with him being a "gentleman" and pulling out her chair. Thank_ God_ for that. She wanted as few opportunities for them to touch as possible.

Catching sight of her empty wine glass, Emma seized the bottle and poured a plentiful amount before Gold could even offer.

"I, uh...that's a good vintage," he spoke up, eyebrows drawing inward as Emma downed the glass in three swallows. "The idea is to _savor_ that, I believe."

"Oh, it's very good," she assured him, readily pouring herself another glass. "Did you want some?"

"Not just yet, thank you." Eyes roving across her face, Gold's fingers gripped at the table as he watched her drink. Her desperation for the "liquid courage" should've discouraged him, but instead it brought to mind the memories of their unexpected coupling. He could see her face contorting in a silent scream as she rode him, and with the real person so hopelessly close to his ever-watchful gaze, he could practically taste the saltiness of her skin against his tongue.

"You haven't touched your food... You'd better not have poisoned it, 'cause I plan on finishing every bite."

Jerking back to reality, Gold felt the strain against his pants and stifled a groan. "Poisoned? No, um...no, of course not. Unless you consider seasoning poison?"

"Depends on the spice," Emma wryly returned. She'd now had four _well-_deserved glasses of wine, and her words were beginning to slur. It didn't help matters that the room seemed to be spinning, and the music that suddenly came on made her pause mid-sip. "What's that?"

"Sinatra."

"Go figure you'd like him," Emma mumbled, her head lolling to the side as she watched Gold return to the table. Feeling his eyes on her, she scowled a little and raised her gaze to his almost petulantly. _"What?"_

"Dance with me, Emma-love."

Something about his voice made her shiver, yet she shook her head and drew back. "No, I...I don't think I want to. I don't dance."

"I'm a horrible dancer as well, so together we should make a _good_ dancer, don't you think?"

"Double negatives don't work that way in the real world," Emma grumbled.

Gold had to smile. Ah, right - the whole "intelligent drunk" thing. Apparently over the years nothing had changed in _that_ department.

Taking her by the hand, Gold was pleasantly surprised when this time Emma didn't resist. Although she was moaning her protest, she was now on her feet and complaining about being uncoordinated.

With his hands on her hips, Gold cautiously drew her forward so that she was pressed snugly against his front (but not _too_ snugly for fear of her discovering his arousal). With Emma it was almost like dealing with a wild animal, for any sudden movement could cause her to bolt if she so desired.

"You know, I've really enjoyed getting to know you, Emma," he finally spoke. "I think you're just what this town needs."

"Mmph..."

Chuckling, Gold asked, "Are you coherent, my dear?" Emma's head slumped against his shoulder in response, his smile only broadening as he teased, "Ah, finally... A little bit of peace and quiet, eh?"

"Fuck you..."

"Ah, so you _are_ coherent. That's good." Brushing a lock of hair back from her flushed cheek, he added, "Did I ever tell you how I met Henry?"

"No," Emma sluggishly returned, her face burying further into Gold's shoulder. He had a peculiar scent, but it surprisingly wasn't unpleasant.

"It's rather simple, really," Gold confessed, "but the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was special...I knew he was _yours._ No young man of his caliber could _ever_ be the spawn of Regina Mills."

Emma smiled, yet she said nothing.

Daring to press his cheek to hers, Gold lowly sustained, "He was the first person in this entire town to stand up to me - besides _you,_ of course - because he saw me taking money from Miss Ruby. She owed it to me, naturally, but the boy didn't like to see her upset. He didn't like to see _anyone_ upset, come to think of it." Running his fingers through Emma's hair, a chill ran through his body when he heard her give a soft moan. Biting back the urge to place a soft, desirous kiss upon the crook of her neck, he continued, "I didn't let Ruby keep her money, but your boy _did_ earn my respect that day, Miss Swan. Not many people can do that, you realize."

As they moved, the svelte curve of Emma's mouth accidentally brushed against Gold's neck, and she could've sworn she heard her name breathily escape his lips. Dizzy and confused (what had they been talking about, again?), her nipples hardened as soon as Gold placed an open-mouthed kiss against her fluttering pulse. When his tongue traced along her skin, her hips involuntarily bucked against his arousal, her nails digging deeply into his shoulders as he growled against her neck.

Oh, God... Hadn't she planned something involving pepper spray?

With her body still bowed into him, Emma tried to pull away from his grasp, but this action only succeeded in further aggravating his erection.

"Pretty little Emma," he purred, his lips now tracing along her chin as she struggled for breath. "You seem..._tense."_

"Let go of me," Emma pleaded, her glassy eyes finally having a semblance of control behind them. "I mean it, Gold - if you don't get your filthy, disgusting hands off of me _right this second,_ I may be forced to do something we'll both regret."

"You're drunk, my dear," he lowly explained. "You won't remember enough of this to have any regrets."

Emma stiffened. "Y'know, you're absolutely right - only _you_ will live to regret this." Bringing her knee up in a flash of blue silk, Gold gave a surprised _'oof!'_ the moment it met its target. He needed a cane for assistance in general, but after _that_ little maneuver, he honestly wasn't sure if he could walk.

Gripping onto the table for support, he grimaced and praised, "Very good, Miss Swan... Always a pleasure."

"Take me home," she commanded. She'd driven on her own on the way over, but she knew she was far too drunk to return to Mary Margaret's safely.

"Yes, yes, of course... Just give me a moment to recompose myself, won't you?"

Appearing satisfied with herself, Emma handed Gold his cane and snidely returned, "Perhaps next time you'll think twice before taking advantage of a woman."

"Believe me, you don't seem disadvantaged in the slightest," Gold grumbled, still wincing as he accepted his cane. "For what it's worth, I apologize for my hastiness. It was improper of me to get so...spirited."

Grabbing her purse off the floor, Emma found that her dizziness was subsiding, but not enough to ensure that she'd be hangover-free the next morning. "If you're looking for immediate forgiveness, you're not going to get it. Not many can say they've been groped by Regina's stooge, after all."

Pursing his lips, Gold said nothing and merely held out his hand for her to take. Was he _nuts?_ There's no way in _hell_ she'd let him near her ever again!

Haughtily storming past him, Emma slung her purse over her shoulder and ripped open the door. With a terse, "I'll be in the car," the fiery blonde had soon disappeared completely from sight.

Pinching at the bridge of his nose, Gold sighed and shook his head in frustration. Well, it looked as though it was back to the ol' drawing board...

**A/N**: If any of you are wondering, I'm having Gold vacillate between "Emma" and "Miss Swan" on purpose. He doesn't know whether or not to approach her in a formal versus informal manner, so he continuously tests out both. Also, thank you so much yet again for all your wonderful reviews! I've thoroughly enjoyed your well-thought out opinions, theories, and feedback, so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. With that said, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)


	4. Desperate Measures

**A/N****: **Yay, an update just in time for tonight's episode! I'm honestly surprised I made it, because chapter four is ALWAYS the death of me. I'm not sure what it is, but I feel that I've never written a good chapter four in ANY story. I suppose because it's mostly filler? Anyway, with that said, I hope you'll enjoy it, regardless. I wrote the rough draft COMPLETELY out of order (for once), so hopefully it doesn't read that way. lol

P.S. For anyone who's interested, I've made a few **OUAT/Gold x Emma fanvids **on YouTube under the username KendraLuehr. You can find it on Google, I'm sure. :) My friend FataFaby makes some excellent/squee-worthy Gemma vids, as well.

**CH 4: Desperate Measures**

With a groan, Emma tossed and turned when rays of sunshine viciously assaulted her dreams. Pinpoints of color appeared behind her lids and her eyes snapped open, her head throbbing so badly that she momentarily wondered what in God's name she'd done the night before.

Wearily sitting up, she caught sight of her reflection and wanted to scream. She looked as though she'd been in a bar fight, what with her wild hair and the dark, kohl-smudged circles under her eyes. Now wide awake (who _wouldn't_ be after such a frightening sight?), Emma slung her legs over the bed and shuffled into the kitchen. She'd been feeling relatively decent, despite her disheveled appearance, but the minute she caught sight of a new vase of flowers on the kitchen counter, she wanted to hurl onto Mary Margaret's new rug.

"Mare?" she called, panic evident within her voice. "Mary Margaret, _please_ tell me these flowers are from Dr. Whale..."

"Hmm?" the teacher asked, now entering the room with a cup of coffee. Sending an inquisitive look toward her friend, she then realized what the trouble was and smiled weakly. "Sorry I didn't wake you, but the delivery boy dropped off some flowers this morning... From Mr. Gold, I'm afraid."

With a growl, Emma seized the bouquet and viciously chucked it into the trash, vase and all.

"Wow...you must _really_ enjoy doing that," Mary Margaret observed, her eyes wide as she took a sip of coffee. "I mean, they _are_ really beautiful flowers - they might add a nice splash of color to this bare room."

Emma scowled. "God, who's side are you on? I can't have those in this house!"

"Well, why not? You let Gold drive you back here last night, so the date must've not gone _that_ badly..." Upon seeing Emma's murderous glare, she quickly amended, "Ooor, perhaps not... I don't know why you can't just make the most of his infatuation, Emma. He's the most powerful man in town, so he could give you anything you wanted."

"What I _want_ is to be left alone," she grumbled. "I mean, do I have a giant stamp that says "take me now" on my forehead? He almost acts like I'm his property..."

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Ugh, what _now?" _With narrowed eyes, Emma stormed over to the door and ripped it open in haughty expectance. The minute she saw Gold's smug face, however, she immediately slammed it back shut.

"Um...Miss Swan?" came his muffled inquiry. "Might I have a word?"

"From the sound of it, you just did - _eight_ words, to be exact," Emma snarkily returned. "I'd suggest you get lost before I make that limp even _worse, _Gold."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret hissed, her eyes full of fear. "You can't talk to him like that... He could see to it that the rest of your days are a living Hell!"

Emma scoffed. "I'm not afraid of him - he's just a lonely old man who thrives off of bullying the less fortunate."

"Um...I'm still _here,_ you realize," came Gold's soft reply. "Can't we discuss this indoors where we won't cause a scene?"

Emma faltered, her hand lingering on the doorknob as she sent Mary Margaret a questioning look. When her friend nodded, Emma groaned and begrudgingly opened the door, her eyes piercing and cold as she snapped, "You've got _twenty seconds_ to state your business, so you'd better make it quick."

Gold smiled. "Good to see you too, Miss Swan - I do so enjoy our little chats."

"If you don't tell me what you want _right this second,_ you'll be having a nice little conversation with my _fist,"_ Emma seethed.

It was evident that she was angry, but Gold somehow still held onto his composure. He was accustomed to dealing with argumentative women on a daily basis (Regina being the main source of such sass), but with Emma he was admittedly less patient. It bothered him that she couldn't remember their night of passion, yet she so _vividly_ recalled the night before and held it against him.

Clearing his throat, Gold calmly began, "I merely came by so I could apologize for my behavior last night, Miss Swan. It was _completely_ out of line, and no excuse in the world will ever change that."

"Oh, so you're _just_ realizing that?" Emma shot back, her arms folding as she shook her head. "As far as I'm concerned, we're done here, Gold. You got your favor repaid, so we don't need to see each other ever again."

Gold appeared affronted. "You wound me, Miss Swan... It will be rather _difficult_ to avoid one another, considering how small this town is."

Emma glared. "Just _watch_ me. When I dislike something or some_one_ enough, I _always_ find a way."

Clearing her throat, Mary Margaret weakly asked, "Um...would anyone like some tea? I think I hear the teapot whistling..."

When neither Gold nor Emma moved to answer, Mary Margaret bit her lip and hurriedly rushed off toward her room. If a murder was about to occur, she did _not_ want to end up being a witness.

Not even noticing Mary Margaret's sudden departure, Emma continued to stare Gold down with eyes poisoned by rage. She'd never liked the man, but the minute he'd breached what little trust she had left, she knew she was completely done with him. As a girl she'd had a hard time trusting people, and it was _all_ because of men like the smarmy weasel in front of her.

Absently pursing his lips, Gold asked, "So I am unforgiven?"

"Gee, what gave it away? Could it possibly be the pulsating vein of _rage_ in my forehead?" she sarcastically asked. "With all due respect, Gold, we're _not _in any sort of relationship, so you don't need to be doing this. In fact, I don't even consider us _friends,_ so you should just go before you embararass yourself further."

Gold's brows rose high on his head, his hand gripping at his cane as he tried to uphold his facade. Her words wounded him far more than he liked to admit, but he could always tell when he was fighting a losing battle. Emma obviously needed time to reflect and assess the situation, so he decided he would give her that common courtesy.

With a small nod, Gold lowly agreed, "Very well, my dear - we won't speak of this ever again. Please apologize to Mary Margaret for taking up her time."

Although confused by this sudden subservience, Emma found that she couldn't complain. "Good...have a nice life, Gold," she returned, hurriedly closing the door before he could even reply.

With her forehead pressed against the wood, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She'd woken up with the telltale signs of a hangover, but now that she'd had to deal with one of Gold's _very_ unwelcome visits, her migraine had intensified to the point of dizziness.

"You ok?"

Slowly lifting her head, Emma shrugged and moved over to one of the barstools. Plopping down heavily onto the seat, she rubbed at her face and muttered, "Yep, never been better... I'll tell you, it's absolutely _fantastic_ being stalked by Storybrooke's number one creeper."

With a half-smile, Mary Margaret joined her friend at the counter and offered, "For what it's worth, Gold always keeps his word. If he said he'll try to respect your wishes, he will."

"Yeah? He hasn't jumped off a cliff yet, so he can't be _that_ honorable." When Mary Margaret laughed, Emma cracked a smiled and asked, "So are you going on another date with Whale tonight? You're fidgety, so that can only mean one thing..."

Smiling, Mary Margaret kept her gaze on her coffee and nodded.

"Seriously? I would've thought _my_ experiences would've turned you off from dating, altogether," Emma joked.

Mary Margaret smirked. "Well perhaps, but unlike you, I actually _like_ my date."

"Hmm...fair enough." Rising from her perch, Emma patted her friend's shoulder and gave a soft, "Good luck" before leaving the room. In all honesty, she was saddened by Mary Margaret's words, and found that she was just a _little_ bit jealous...

* * *

><p>"Ah, Regina... Thank you for coming."<p>

"What are you up to, Gold?" she demanded, eying the room in distate as she entered. Every item in the shop brought back unwanted memories, so any requested visit was a considerable nuisance.

With an "I'll never tell" grin, Gold came out from behind the counter and announced, "I need a favor of you, my dear. I plan on leaving town for a few days, and I'm taking someone with me."

Regina smirked. "Are you, now? This wouldn't have anything to do with your infatuation with Deputy Swan, would it?"

"It's _Sheriff _now, m'dear."

Regina scowled. _"Don't_ remind me..." Folding her arms and pacing around the room, she stopped in front of a particularly unique piece and asked, "Only a few days?"

"Only a few days," Gold assured her, smirking as he leaned on his cane. "I'd just _hate_ the thought of leaving you to fend for yourself, after all."

Regina scoffed. "Keep it up, and I'll be sure to tell Miss Swan your _real_ name, Gold."

Smile gradually fading, Gold's lips tightened and he gripped at his cane. He knew Regina would never do something so foolish, but the threat was enough to ensure his cooperation. For now, he preferred her to believe that he was on _her_ side, and that he was willing to remain allies.

With a curt nod, he acknowledged, "Very well, Regina - you may return to your stony fortress."

Sending him a sour look in response, the mayor abruptly about-faced and haughtily stalked off toward the exit. After the door had slammed shut with a resounding _'bang,'_ Gold closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nostils. Now he knew what he must do...

* * *

><p><em>Crack!<em>

Shooting up in an instant, Emma gripped at her covers as she craned her head to listen. Had someone actually just kicked down the _door?_ Mary Margaret often forgot her keys, but there was no _way _she wouldn't have knocked first...

Reaching for her gun inside her dresser drawer, Emma gripped it within her hands and slowly, cautiously edged out into the living room.

With steps like a sneaking cat, she held her weapon out in front of her and looked around, the sweat prickling on the back of her neck as her heart rate increased. Somehow, even though she couldn't see anyone, she could sense that she wasn't alone...

"Hello?" she called weakly. "Is anybody here? You'd better show yourself soon, 'cause I'm armed!"

In response, Emma let out a cry when a chloroformed rag came firmly down over her nose and mouth. Struggling about, she accidentally dropped her gun as she fought for control, the weapon skittering across the floor until it was well out of reach.

Eyes wide with terror, Emma tried to scream, but found she was somehow unable. As a blurry haze began to descend across her eyes like a curtain, she heard a regretful, "I'm so sorry, Emma-love," before she painted out in a sea of black.

**A/N**: Cliffhanger, yay! :P They're my favorite to write, so be forewarned. lol At this time, I'd like to give my lovely reviewers some individual thanks:

**wishfulliving89:** Thank you so much! And yes, of COURSE I'm excited! ;P I saw there will be an Emma x Gold scene tonight in the preview, so I'm hoping that won't be the only scene they have together...

**theblueGRRL:** Thank you so much for all your reviews! They really mean a lot!

**crazyreader2011:** Thanks, you're so sweet to say so! I love Gold, so how could I resist? ;)

**Tera Earth:** Thank you! I'll admit at first I didn't think it was possible (just a fun concept), but now that all these theories are coming out, it's starting to make more and more sense. I've also heard that Gold's son could be Henry's father, but I hope that's not true for obvious reasons... GxE would become a bit squicky since he'd be the grandfather. :(

**JimandSteve:** You and me both. ;) Ever since he said: "Emma, what a lovely name," I've been onboard the good ship Gemma. lol Of all the women of Storybrooke, she's the only one he seems to take seriously. I truly hope they'll give us SOMETHING, but that usually doesn't happen until s2 or 3 in TV shows. And thank you so much!

**Ravenclaw992:** Wow, thank you so much, that really means a lot! I wrote for the Joker before I turned into a Oncer, and somehow I find writing for Gold to be very similar... Probably just the mischievous/trickster angle. I also wrote for Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows, and he has an archaic form of speech just like Mr. Gold, so that's probably another reason I was able to adapt fairly quickly. And Emma? I naturally have a snarky sense of humor, so writing for her is almost second nature. :P haha And please DO write yours! This site is in desperate need of Gemma fanfiction! Thanks, again!

**hippiechic1967:** Haha, thank you so much! And wow, really? That's quite the compliment, thank you!

**ElizaSP:** Oh no, I'm sorry to ruin your beauty sleep! haha And yes, I definitely saw that promo bit and loved it. ;) Any Gemma scenes inspire me...I've honestly re-watched all their Desperate Soul scenes at least 5 times this week. lol And don't worry, when Emma actually DOES get with Gold, she won't be drunk. :P haha

**haruharu:** lmao! Oh yes, it DOES bug Gold. ;) It hurts his poor little ego that she won't bed him sober. haha And thank you, I really appreciate all that! I'm not sure if Rumpel will make an appearance, but he very well might. ;)

**DiMerasLover:** Well thank you, I really appreciate that! I'd honestly never heard of Lotor x Allura before, but I looked them up. If they're anything like GxE, I'm sure I'll love them. ;) As for Graham, I'm not entirely sure... I might, but it's going to be difficult getting Emma to fall for Gold without any additional complications. :P

**anitarose:** Haha, aww, well thank you so much! I'm glad you think so!

**DarkFairy207:** Oh yes, I agree...although sometimes my inner fangirl has to resist rushing. ;) That always happens when I'm in a new fandom, but somehow I've got more restraint than usual. I think it's because I know how difficult it will be to make Emma realistically fall for Gold, so I can't just have her randomly decide she loves him. I really appreciate all of that, thank you!

**013bela:** Haha, aww, well thank you! And the pun was appreciated. ;P

**ber1719:** Oh gosh, I'm sorry if I ruined your sleeping patterns! haha But wow, thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked it enough to possibly re-read it. :P

**Musicalfan2012:** Thank you so very much! I'm glad you liked it!

**NOTE**: All of the above review responses were for chapter 3, so I'd also like to thank everyone else who's read/reviewed my earlier chapters! It really means a lot!


	5. Walking on Eggshells

**A/N****: **Wow, I cannot BELIEVE that I managed to update this today! My goal has been to crank out a chapter by every Sunday, but it's admittedly getting harder and harder to do so since so much is going on. I just about teared my hair out with the Gold x Emma scene, because I'd pre-written it in my head...only to forget everything I'd planned. LOL Next time, I'll WRITE the darn chapter instead of composing it before I go to sleep. BAH. Hope you like it, anyway!

**CH 5: Walking on Eggshells**

"Emma? Sorry I'm so late, but I stayed the night at Whale's, and I..." Trailing off, Mary Margaret set her purse onto the counter and looked around. Where _was_ she? Emma was usually up and about by now...

"Emma?" she tried yet again, her brows furrowing when she received no answer. "Hey Emma, are you awake? I-"

With a jolt, she looked down in surprise when she kicked something small and metallic. Placing a hand over her heart, her eyes widened when she realized it was a gun - _Emma's_ gun.

"Oh, God..."

Now glancing toward the door, she finally noticed the forced sign of entry. "Oh God, oh God, oh _God!"_

Grabbing the phone off the wall, she dialed 911 and anxiously paced back and forth. When she received an answer, she hurriedly blurted out, "Yes, hello? I need to report a missing person..."

* * *

><p>Groaning, Emma slowly came back to consciousness in accordance with a jarring, semi-painful vibration against her skull. As she opened her eyes, she felt a momentary sense of panic when she discovered she was gazing out a window at a barren, wooded area with no one in sight.<p>

"...the _hell?"_

"Ah, so you're finally awake - you had me worried for a minute there, my dear."

Jerking upright as if she'd been slapped, Emma ignored the dizziness as she beheld the man of her innermost disdain. _"You!"_ she hissed. "What did you do, why am I here, and where the _hell_ are you taking me?"

Gold smiled in spite of her hysteria. "I'm afraid you won't understand at the moment, but I can assure you that soon all of your questions will be answered."

"Well you'd better start explaining _now_ before I...I..." Trailing off, Emma glanced down at her hands and balked. The smarmy bastard had bound them together with _zip ties!_

Struggling with the restraints, she gave a frustrated scream before snarling, "You actually felt the need to _tie me up?_ What kind of a road trip _is_ this?"

Gold paused before returning, "I'm afraid it was necessary for your own safety. Jumping out of a moving car, for instance, is something I could see you attempting sooner or later."

Emma sneered. "Perhaps, but I noticed you locked the _doors._ Kind of hard to jump through glass and steel, don't you think?"

With a soft smile, Gold made a turn down a winding road and sped up just a bit. "Our destination is just beyond these trees...perhaps you recognize where we are?"

Sour and understandably miffed, Emma shook her head and snapped, "Of course I don't! Why you couldn't have just _asked _me to accompany you opposed to kidnapping me is _beyond_ my understanding! 'Cause guess what? For future reference, people are far more willing to cooperate if you just say _please!"_

Gold exhaled deeply. "Need I remind you that I'm not exactly your favorite person? Somehow I sense you would've refused me, and it's _imperative_ that we take this trip."

"Why?"

"Because I want Henry to have a father, again."

Blanching as though she'd been slapped, Emma narrowed her eyes and hissed, "Henry is_ no_ concern of yours, so you leave my son out of this. His father is-"

"Dead? Yes, so I've heard through the rumor mill, although we _both _know that's not true," Gold slyly returned.

Emma's eyes were wide with terror. "Who are you _really,_ and what do you want? Money? Because I think I can manage to-"

"Money? _Really?_ Emma, don't you realize that I'm the wealthiest man in town? I can get anything I want!" he scornfully interjected. Eyes softening, he lowly amended, "Well..._almost_ anything."

Trying her best to remain calm, Emma coolly demanded, "If you're taking me somewhere in particular, surely you know I'll tell the authorities?"

Gold couldn't help but smile. "Not to worry, my dear, the arrangements have already been made. I've told the hotel clerk I'll be taking my "sister with dementia" to the mental hospital, but along the way we'll need a place to sleep. Not to mention, he'll be rewarded quite handsomely for his silence."

Emma balked. "You son of a _bitch!_ We're taking a joyride to a _hotel? _I swear to God, when we get back to Storybrooke, I'm hauling your ass right to jail!"

"Ah, well _that_ sounds promising...will we be sharing a cell?"

"Fuck you!"

Chuckling, Gold reached out in order to brush back a stray lock of Emma's hair, but she heatedly spat at his invasive appendage in response. Somehow non-plussed by the spray of saliva across his palm, he calmly wiped his hand against the seat and smiled. She was such a fiery little imp, and it _thrilled_ him to know that such a free spirit was his possession. She didn't know it yet, of course, but she was his - she'd been destined to be his Emma from the very start.

The remainder of their travels was spent in silence, Emma fuming as she pressed herself snugly against the cold, vibrating passenger door. If her hands weren't bound, she was almost _positive _she would've tried to kill Gold by now.

"Emma?"

Scowling, she defiantly turned her head to the side and said nothing. If he thought she was _actually_ going to carry on a conversation with him, he was even more full of shit than she originally thought.

With an exaggerated sigh, Gold shrugged and announced, "I merely wanted to tell you we've arrived - surely you would like to get out now? It's been a long drive."

Still refusing to speak, Emma instead concentrated on the forested area around them and frowned. Where the hell _were_ they? Yes, she knew they were at a seedy hotel of some sort, but she couldn't figure out why _this_ particular place was Gold's destination.

As they eased into a parking space, Emma finally spoke, "If you're trying to get me into bed with you, I can _promise_ you won't wake up with a penis tomorrow morning."

Gold had to chuckle at that. "I _do_ admire your candor, Miss Swan...always so charming." Now getting out of the car, he limped over to Emma's door and opened it with a smile. He boldly reached inside and placed a hand beneath her upper arm, yet she gave a snarl and sent him a fiery look.

Wresting herself from his grasp, Emma gave a fierce, "I can walk by myself," before haughtily getting out of the car. She was aware that she looked like a prisoner being led to the gallows, but unfortunately no one _else_ was there to witness her distress. It was no true surprise to her that Gold had done his homework.

As they made their way inside, Emma was struck by an odd sense of deja vu when an eldery man greeted them at the front desk. Unbeknownst to her, it was the same clerk who'd given them a room ten years prior.

Opening up a guestbook with shaky, arthritic fingers, he absently asked, "You Mr. and Mrs. Gold?"

Emma paled. "Now just wait a friggin' minute, I thought I was supposed to be-?"

"Yes, that would be us," Gold cut in, his hand now squeezing the blonde's arm to the point of pain. As Emma struggled about within his grasp, he gave a cold smile and sustained, "Need I remind you that we are to receive no visitors, room service, or disturbances of _any_ kind?"

The old man squinted and nodded. "Yes, yes, of course, Mr. Gold... Let me get you your key." Moving over to the pinboard on the wall, he removed a key from its hook before anxiously handing it over to his patrons. "Now you have yourselves a nice stay, y'hear?"

Gold smirked. "Indeed, I believe we shall... Thank you, Mr. Broughman."

As the old man sputtered some sort of response, Emma found herself being led down a dim, disgustingly filthy hallway to room number twenty-five.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Emma gave Gold a sarcastic smile, her tone curt and to the point as she returned, "Believe me, you don't want to know... I don't think I can afford a swear jar just now."

Chuckling as he opened the door and showed her inside, Gold placed his hand against the small of her back and steered her toward a stiff-looking chair.

Beginning to tire of her restraints, Emma begged, "Can you _please_ untie me now? I mean, it's not like I can run away...I don't even know where we are!"

Although Gold was clearly warring with himself over his options, his guilty conscience caused him to hesitantly acquiesce. Taking her hands in his, he kept his eyes averted to the task and gave a soft, "There," once his princess was freed.

It was this foolish error that Emma took advantage of, her newly freed fist smashing right into the side of Gold's jaw. With a cry when he snagged a fistful of her hair, Emma attempted to turn and run, but the surprisingly strong man managed to wrest her up into his arms.

Panicking, Emma began to frantically kick her legs as Gold staggered with her toward the bed, her backside soon meeting with the mattress as Gold roughly fell on top of her.

"Get _off_ of me!" she snarled. Jabbing her fist upward with the hopes of meeting her mark, she winced when he caught her by the wrist and began to squeeze.

"Emma, my love, I don't want to hurt you..."

"I am _not_ your love!" she viciously spat. Now struggling about with a renewed sense of vigor, she hissed in pain when Gold seized her by the hair and gave a rough, commanding yank.

Breathing heavily, Emma glared up into the older man's stormy eyes and felt a sense of panic. He was close - _much_ too close - and he could bring his lips to her quivering mouth if he so desired. But then, why didn't he? Wasn't the point of this whole damned trip to get into her pants?

As if reading her inner dialogue, Gold's gaze suddenly grew remorseful, and he pushed away from her as though _she_ was the one who'd caused such pain and confusion.

Heart still pounding, Emma slowly, cautiously sat up and stared at Gold's retreating figure. "Are you finally going to tell me what the hell is going on?" she demanded. "You kidnapped me and drove us _both_ to this hellhole, so you at least owe me an explanation."

"I owe you a lot," Gold agreed, "but I doubt you can fully accept everything that I must say. You obviously aren't ready yet."

Emma scoffed. "And what the hell is _that_ supposed to mean? Are you trying to say you dragged me _all _the way out here without knowing for sure if I was 'ready'?"

Gold gave a tired smile, then lifted his shoulders in a noncommittal answer. "It was foolish, I agree, but I had to take the chance. It was now or never."

"Ok, I'll just go ahead and save you the trouble by saying it'll be _never,"_ Emma spat. "I don't know what in God's name you want from me, so just...just take me home!"

"And where exactly _is_ home, Miss Swan? Storybrooke?"

She frowned. "You know that's what I meant..."

"Why?"

Finally appearing conflicted, Emma lowered her gaze to her lap and shook her head. "He's all I have left...where else _could_ I go now that I've found him?"

"You mean Henry," Gold supplied. It wasn't a question so much as an answer.

When Emma nodded, he inhaled deeply once he realized he needed to make a slight adjustment to his plans. The poor girl obviously wasn't ready to hear the truth, so instead he'd have to come up with a clever diversion.

After a moment's pause, he lowly asked, "How would you like to make another deal, Miss Swan?"

Emma scoffed. "You're kidding me, right? I can't say that I was exactly thrilled by our _last_ arrangement, so forgive me if I'm not clamoring for a second chance at Hell on Earth."

Gold smiled wryly. "And what if I were to say that I could help you get custody of Henry?"

Emma stared at the older man with wide eyes, her gaze growing suspicious as she cast him a wary look. "And why would you do _that?_ You have nothing to gain from my being Henry's legal caregiver... Nothing that _I_ can think of, anyway."

"You wound me, Miss Swan. Can't I do anything out of the goodness of my own heart?"

"Um, I think you actually have to _have_ one for that to apply," she grumbled. Gaze softening for only a moment, she asked, "You would _really_ help me get him back? How come?"

Gold's smile was wistful as he lowly returned, "I once told you that time with your child is precious, did I not? I'd advise you not to waste anymore time."

Emma's expression soured, but only because she knew the smug bastard was right. Absently lacing her fingers in her lap, she managed to return his gaze before asking, "So what do I have to do?"

* * *

><p>In an understandably pleasant mood, Regina smiled to herself as she scaled the stairs to her opulent mansion. With Gold and Emma both gone, life was officially a pleasant affair that she could actually <em>enjoy.<em>

Humming a lilting tune (a miracle in itself), Regina stopped in front of Henry's bedroom and knocked on the door. "Henry, I need to go into town for a business meeting - could you come out here for a minute, please?" When she received no answer, she frowned and knocked a little harder. _"Henry?_ Henry, honey, this isn't funny - I'm a _very_ busy woman, so I need you out here _right this minute."_

When her surrogate son _still_ failed to answer, Regina felt her temper flare and she heatedly twisted the doorknob before plowing into the room. "Alright, young man, what's the meaning of...?" Trailing off, she glanced about her in astonishment once she realized the room was completely empty.

"Oh, my God," she whispered.

Henry was _gone._

**A/N**: Oh Gold, you silly man. Women don't find kidnappings romantic. :') And poor Henry... I honestly haven't decided his final course of action, but as we've seen from the show, his actions can definitely get him into trouble. At this time, I'd like to give my lovely reviewers some individual thanks (and I have so many this time, which makes me SQUEE - you inspire me so much, you have NO idea!):

**ApocalypticFish:** Haha, well I'm sorry to have left you with that cliffie! Believe me, I've been on your side of the fence several times, and it is _not_ a happy situation. lol Glad you've enjoyed it thus far!

**Lady Elena Bella Petrova:** Thank you so much! Hopefully this chapter met to your liking, as well. :)

**Ravenclaw992:** Ooh, that's so exciting! I hope you can get your Gemma story up soon!

Haha, that's pretty much how I interpreted it, yes. Some make Gold impatient with Emma, but to me, he seems more amused by her obstinate behavior than annoyed. Glad you caught that. :P And thank yooou! I'll definitely be making more of them, don't you worry. ;) When I have a new favorite couple, they're my top priority. Only thing is, I like to wait a bit to get new footage to work with.

**Miriette:** Thanks for all the reviews! As for the cane, I've often wondered if he truly needs it myself, but since he had a limp as Rumpelstiltskin, I'm sure it's somewhat legit. He only lost the limp once he gained his powers, so I have a feeling the limp is back since he's under the curse and unable to use his magic.

**last to dance:** Oh wow, thank you so much! I'll admit this is a hard fandom to write for, so I'm always kinda anxious to see what people think. Sometimes I have NO idea what I'm doing, haha. And yes, Gold's got good intentions (to an extent), but obviously knows NOTHING about women... Or at least, nothing about women like Emma. ;)

**Swirling Dreams:** Yes, I did! Oh wow, did you? Aww, I'm so glad you liked those! That song's kind of my anthem for Gemma, because it has so many different aspects (love, lust, obsession, etc.).

You're making me blush, gah! XD haha And thank you! I have a semblance of Emma's sarcasm in real life, so it's not too much of an adjustment for me. :P

**ElizaSP:** Well, desperate times call for desperate measures... lol I've never actually watched The Vampire Diaries, but that's a good point. It may take more than a drive for Emma to appreciate Gold, though. ;) And of course! Gemma scenes ALWAYS inspire me. :) I've probably watched Desperate Souls twenty times already (their scenes only).

**River Child:** Of course I remember you! Hi! And it's ok, you're not the only one who faves things and runs. ;) I can be guilty of that as well sometimes. And aww, thank you so much! I agree about it more than likely not happening, but somehow I can see Gold _wanting_ to be Henry's father to replace the hole in his heart. He's obviously not over his own son, so I could see him trying to be a surrogate. That, of course, wouldn't go over too well with Emma OR Henry. :P He seems creeped out by Gold (and understandably so). And nooo, brainwashing would be too easy. That works on people like David, but not our Emma. ;) I see Gold wanting her the proper/real way, not by brainwashing. It'd be more of an ego boost.

**thablueGRRL:** Thank you! And I completely agree. For the past five or so years, I've been writing for characters who aren't really capable of love and affection, so it's nice to write for a monster who's more misunderstood than monstrous. :)

**JordanGoombette:** Thank you so much, hope you enjoyed the update!

**gravelgerdie:** Thank you, I'm so glad! And God, I do too. Their chemistry is electric. ;)

**helikesitheymikey:** Haha, well blame that on my muse, because for some reason I wanted a change of scenery. I tend to get writer's block if my brain's in the same setting for too long. :P And no, he'll never brainwash her - he respects her mind far too much for something like that, so no worries. ;)

My heart jumped up in my throat when Henry asked about his father. I knew she wasn't just going to go, "Oh, by the way, Gold's the babydaddy," but I had HIGH HOPES. haha And now that she claims he's an unsavory loser, it makes me think either she doesn't remember him, or he really IS some jerk-off she's known for a while. But since we'll definitely find out more about it later, I feel it HAS to be someone that the viewer knows, because otherwise we wouldn't care/be shocked by the paternity. Anyway, thanks so much for your review - they're always so thoughtful!

**Linale Ashley M:** Haha aww, well I'm so glad I could switch you over to Team Gemma! lol They have great chemistry, and I find them to be a lot of fun to watch. :)

**DarkFairy207:** Wow, that's such a compliment, thank you! I find this fandom to be one of the most difficult I've written for, so that helps with my uncertainty. :) And yes, I tend to love cliffhangers - I'm a horrible person. ;) haha

**ber1719:** Aww, well thank you, I hope you liked the update! I wouldn't say Gold did what he did to be evil, but it certainly wasn't very nice. ;)

**Marcie Gore:** Hahaha, nope! "Please" doesn't work on Emma at all. :P And thanks a bunch!

**MonkeesDoctorWho1987:** Thank you so much! And yes, if I had Emma all :D in Gold's presence, I'd have to smack myself and re-evaluate my thinking. haha I've seen some stories where Emma's attracted to Gold almost instantly, but I can tell that's NOT what she's thinking on the show. Not yet, anyway. ;) Oh, and I'll get to your PM soon, I've been busy. :S

**Sherry:** He definitely cares - he's not trying to hurt her (even though it'll obviously take a lot to prove otherwise :P). Gold just felt that it was the only way to get Emma to remember their past.

**wishfulliving89:** Aww, well thank you so very much! Glad you liked the vids and the story! I hope you liked the episode too, since you said you hadn't been able to see it yet. ;)

**haruharu:** LOL Rumpa kind of sounds like a dance...or a bizarre new name for spanking. :P My initial thought (aside from Gemma) was Emmold, but that sounds moldy for obvious reasons. xP And thank you!

**mydirt09:** Haha, ditto. ;)

**DiMeraslover:** Thank you so much! I always enjoy your analysis/what you have to say. :) As for Lotor x Allura, I'll have to check on YT to see if there are any clips available, because they definitely sound like a couple I could really get into. I've always loved villain x heroine relationships (especially the complex ones), so I'm intrigued. :) And thanks again, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**Musicalfan2012:** Aww, well thank you, I'm so glad you think so! Gosh, you're making me blush! haha And GOD, I WISH. I'd seriously die if I could write for a TV show... But darn straight, I'd give you guys more Gold x Emma goodness. ;) It's all I live for! lol I'd almost go so far to say that if Gold or Emma weren't on the show, I wouldn't bother watching anymore.

**dianaelfkin:** Thank you, I'm so glad you like it! As for Gold's bum leg, I figured he could put all of his weight onto his cane. And if he's faking the limp like some suggest, then there's the obvious fact that he wouldn't be needing it. I kind of think the limp's real, but I'm not completely certain. Some people open doors with their shoulders, as well (listen to me, I sound like I'm an expert on breaking and entering XD).

**CYBERKAT2:** Thank you, I'm so glad!

**Galimatias:** Haha, me too, because then I'm one step closer to finishing! xP


	6. A Change of Plans

**A/N****: **Ironically, this is the chapter I was 99.9% positive I wouldn't be able to upload in time. Why is this ironic? Because I actually finished the chapter two days ago. lol I didn't want to post it early, though, because a lot of my readers seemed appreciative of having a "double dose" of OUAT on Sunday. :) I can understand this, because lately the Gemma scenes have been either zero or very close to it. They're probably having a major lack of Gold because of the "Skin Deep" episode, because I have a feeling he'll be in almost every scene (yay!).

Anyway, this is probably my least favorite chapter, because I started off pretty clueless. This is most CERTAINLY a filler chapter, because the next is the one I'm looking forward to writing. It's going to be a lot of fun, so hopefully this will be ok/enough to satiate you for the wait. I'll talk more about the next chapter and a few things at the end. :)

**CH 6: A Change of Plans**

"Oh, Madame Mayor, thank _God_ you're here, I-"

"Save it," Regina snapped, now pushing Mary Margaret aside as she entered her apartment. "My son...where is he?"

Bewildered, Mary Margaret hesitantly shut the door and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I...I don't understand. Why would Henry be here?"

"Miss Blanchard, I _do_ tire of your games," Regina barked, now storming toward the woman and looking her fiercely in the eyes. "As Miss Swan's primary friend and ally in this town, I'm sure she's told you all about her plans to kidnap my son."

Mary Margaret was absolutely speechless. "I..._what?_ B-but Madame Mayor-"

"Where is my son, where is that witch, and _why_ are you covering for her?" Regina thundered. "If you don't watch your step, Miss Blanchard, I just may have to revoke your teaching license."

Face pale, Mary Margaret meekly returned, "Y-you can't do that... I swear to you, I had _no_ idea Henry was gone! I called the police, so why would a guilty person do _that?"_

"To avoid suspicion, of course," Regina coldly reminded her. "Next time you hear from Miss Swan? Tell her I'm gunning for her _and_ Gold's downfall upon their return."

Mary Margaret looked up as though she'd been shaken. "Wait...Mr. _Gold_ is with Emma? How do you know that?"

"You really don't know, do you?" Regina observed, shaking her head with an almost piteous look. "No matter... Just know that your friend is safe, Miss Blanchard, and that she and Gold will return in a matter of days. The important thing to remember is my _son_ is now missing, so I need you to be my eyes and ears. If Miss Swan or Mr. Gold attempt to contact you, you must tell me _everything_ you know."

Mary Margaret gave a hesitant nod. "Yes, yes, of course...I'll let you know the minute they call."

Regina looked the woman over in distaste, then gave a cold, "Good," before turning and heading for the door.

As Mary Margaret watched the mayor leave, she placed a hand over her heart and bowed her head. "Oh, Emma, what have you gotten yourself into?"

* * *

><p>"I want to leave."<p>

"I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but-"

"I want to leave _now!"_ she barked. Now pacing back and forth, Emma gestured to the lack of windows and exclaimed, "I can't think straight in a place like this, Gold! I mean, did you _honestly_ expect me to sit tight for a few days in a strange, dingy little hotel?"

"Well, I-"

_"Please, _Gold," she begged, now coming over and kneeling in front of him. _"Please _take me anywhere but here...a drive, maybe?"

Gold continued to sit with his cane in hand, his brows drawing inward as he made a face of displeasure. Last night had been uncomfortable, to say the least, since Emma had demanded he sleep on the floor with the dirt and _God_ only knows what else.

Curiously, after darkness had fallen, Emma had gotten a serene, contemplative look on her face, and she'd appeared to be taking in her surroundings with more curiosity. When he'd asked her what was wrong, however, she'd insisted she was just tired.

Perhaps it had appeared more familiar at night? They _had_, after all, spent the majority of their time together in total darkness.

"Hey, old man, are you even _listening_ to me? In case you didn't realize, I don't exactly _like_ being ignored."

"How could I forget?" he grumbled, now rising from the chair and leaning on his cane.

"So then we can go?"

"Why, so you can hit me over the head, drive me someplace secluded, and then dump my body into the woods?" Gold coolly asked. "Your sudden interest in quality time isn't exactly _inconspicuous,_ my dear."

Emma frowned. "As tempting as that all sounds, I actually need you alive since I have _no _idea where we are."

"None at all?"

"Not even a little bit."

Pursing his lips, Gold felt a surge of disappointment and began to pace. "I suppose a little fresh air may do us some good... Just go out into the lobby while I gather a few things."

Now rising off the floor, Emma nodded and snatched her leather jacket off the bed. A sense of elation filled her, for if she could just get the clerk alone, she might be able to convince him to call for help.

Briskly entering the lobby, she rushed over to the sleeping old man behind the counter and shook his arm. "Mr. Broughman," she whispered, giving his arm another good shake. "Mr. Broughman, _please_ wake up!"

"Hrm, what?"

Heart pounding, Emma leaned forward and hissed, "I need you to listen to me, alright? I've been kidnapped and taken here against my will, so I need you to call the police as soon as possible!"

The old man eyed her queerly. "My lance, you really _do_ have dementia!" Nodding at Gold the minute he appeared, Mr. Broughman called over to him, "Such a heartache you must have, good sir - your wife doesn't even seem to remember you!"

Gold turned his attention to Emma and grimaced. "Indeed, I do... Some days it seems we only have uphill battles to face."

Staring at him in rage and disbelief, Emma was rather disquieted by the fact that Gold seemed so..._sincere._ Frowning as he took her by the arm, she breathed deeply through her nostrils and shook her head. "All part of the plan, am I right?"

"You've proven to me you cannot be trusted," Gold snapped, now steering her out the door and into the brilliant sunlight. "I had you go out ahead of me on purpose, for I had a feeling you'd try to betray me."

Emma glared at him. "I should've known you'd do something like that... In all honesty, you're making me _wish_ I had dementia." Blanching when he withdrew two zip ties from his pocket, Emma moved to run, but he caught her by the wrist and forcefully yanked her back. "Let go of me, you _maniac!"_

Accustomed to her violent outbursts, Gold merely sighed and fastened her restraints. "I'm very sorry, Emma-love, but until you can prove that you're trustworthy again, I won't be able to let you roam free."

With a deep-set scowl, Emma found herself a passenger onboard "Gold's Wild Ride" yet again, her nails biting into her palms as Gold revved up the engine and prepared for their drive.

After several minutes of traveling, Emma's scowl gradually faded into a soft mope, and she spared her captor an inquisitive glance out of the corner of her eye. "So, why _are _you willing to help me?" she asked. "I mean, I know what you've _said,_ but maybe you have a family somewhere, too?"

Gold gripped at the steering wheel, but was somehow unable to speak.

"O...kaaay, is it _that_ hard to say whether or not you have a son? Surely you-"

"Miss Swan, _please,"_ Gold irritably cut in. "My past is exactly that: the _past,_ so I wish you would allow it to stay that way."

Frowning, Emma muttered an apology and irritably clicked her tongue. How come it was ok for them to talk about _her_ past, but his own history was completely off-limits? What had made him so bitter?

Hesitant on how to proceed, Emma cleared her throat and tried again, "When you told me time with Henry was precious, you sounded as though you were speaking from experience... Please, Mr. Gold, it's important that I know, because I want only the most empathetic people to help get my son back."

The last part was a small fib, but it was most certainly worth a try.

As she watched on, she noticed that Gold's firm resolve gradually began to crumble, his gaze softening as he heaved a sigh that racked his slender frame.

"Very well," he softly relented, "you were right... I _did_ have a family once."

Emma frowned. "Once? But...how is that even possible to be in the past tense? Surely they're not-"

"Dead?" Gold supplied, shaking his head. "No, no, nothing like that... Long story short, my wife left me and took our son with her. I haven't seen him since his fourteenth birthday."

"I'm so sorry," Emma murmured, for once being sincere. "Why haven't you ever tried to contact them?"

Gold gave a heavy sigh. _"Really,_ Miss Swan, must you-?"

"No, I'm serious," she interjected. "If that were my son, I'd be searching for him to the ends of the earth."

With a sad smile, Gold reminded her, "Perhaps, but if you'll recall correctly, it was _Henry_ who pursued you, not the other way around."

Embarrassed, Emma ceased all judgement and nodded bitterly. "You're right, but...well...somehow all of this has changed me, and I'd like to believe I would've searched for him at some point. I know it may not seem like it, but I really _did_ love him when I decided to let him go."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Gold assured her. "The heart is a very unique, complex organ, Miss Swan, so who are we to question its motivations?"

With her gaze transfixed on her lap, Emma felt momentarily disquieted since she _knew_ she was beginning to grow comfortable in Gold's presence. She still didn't like him - it'd take a hell of a lot for _that_ to ever happen - but she at least no longer viewed him as an enigma. He was just as confused and damaged as everyone else, and somehow that allowed her to accept their plight more readily.

The couple drove in amiable silence for many miles, but soon Emma found her inner curiosity too much to bear. "Gold?" she hesitantly began, now gauging his face for a reaction. "What was your son's name?"

If Gold had had a glass in his hand, it would've shattered under the impact he was now inflicting on the steering wheel. Jaw taut and teeth gritted, he shook his head before lowly declaring, "I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but I don't see how my son's name is relevant to this conversation. If it is merely your morbid curiosity coming into play, please spare me the pain of remembrance and let this sleeping dog lie."

"B-but I-"

Silencing her by turning on the radio, Gold was surprised to realize that _Regina,_ of all people, was addressing the east coast. Her words were tearful (and more than likely fake), but he knew that witch's voice anywhere.

"Please," she miserably beseeched, _"please_ return my son to me... I know the captors of my child are out there somewhere, and if you have any compassion left in your hearts, you _will_ bring him back home."

Trying his best to ignore Emma's questioning glance, Gold cleared his throat and hurriedly switched off the radio.

"Oh, my God," Emma whispered, her voice on the verge of hysteria. "Oh, my _God!_ Gold, you have to turn around...Henry _needs_ me!"

Feeling as though she could have a panic attack, the blonde gripped at Gold's arm and begged with him to see reason.

Eyes momentarily closing, Gold wished he could join in on her hysteria, but he knew he couldn't display his true involvement with their son.

"Gold, _please!"_

With a sharp intake of breath, the pawnbroker nodded and softly relented, "Yes, yes, of course...just let me find a place to turn around."

Resting her head on his leg in thanks, Emma's shoulders shook as she began to weep.

Stunned, Gold realized then that he'd never seen the woman so beside herself, his throat tightening as he longed to emote what he was truly feeling. Their son was missing - either taken or gone of his own volition - but whatever the true reason, he knew he felt responsible.

Hearing Emma sniffle, Gold hesitantly placed a hand on top of her head and stroked her hair, cautious since he was expecting the blonde to either withdraw or strike him. When she did neither, his dark eyes softened, and he felt her curl up into the fetal position like a small, lost little child.

This was his fault, he realized, and it was now _his_ job to undo the damage he'd caused.

**A/N**: Okaay, so that was it! Boring, I know, but I promise the next chapter is muuuuch better, because that's when the crap hits the fan. lol Gemma's relationship will take on a whole new, twisted/complex level, so I hope you guys will enjoy that. I wanted to try and make them a little more understanding of one another in this chapter, but not so much so that their relationship would be rushed. I know Emma rarely cries, but I've found that she only expresses emotion when people she loves/care about are harmed (i.e. Graham). So yeah, hopefully you didn't find her actions OOC.

Right now, I'd like to give my individual thanks (you guys are amazing, THANK YOU!):

**TrAiNoFhOpE:** Thank you so much! As for when Emma and Gold will be together, I'm trying to take their relationship slow. If they were to randomly fall in love right now, it wouldn't make much sense. ;) And actually no, Emma's last name is Swan. :)

**InuFanJinx:** Wow, well thank you so much! I'm really glad you think so, because I've heard people say Gold's pretty darn hard to properly capture. And yes, Emma sadly has to be a bit of a dim bulb for this to be a slow progression. haha

**Rylee87:** Haha, aww, well thank you! Hopefully this new chapter answered some of your questions. ;P

**wishfullliving89:** Aww, so glad you like it! And yes, I did...I couldn't believe she took the potion. :S

**Morzan's Elvish Daughter:** Haha, glad you liked that line! And thank you! I rarely write for Regina, so I'm always reluctant to do so.

**Somedaymyprincewillcome:** That thought has often crossed my mind, so hopefully they do that on the show. ;) I'm admittedly not doing it in mine, but I may try something similar eventually.

**thablueGRRL:** LOL I know, men are silly. ;P And thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

**Musicalfan2012:** I KNOW, I wanted to cry when there was no Gemma! That was 2 weeks in a row! And thank you, so glad you enjoyed the chapter, because it was one of my slower ones, IMO. Haha, yes! I really DO need to write things down more. :P

**Sherry:** Telling the truth is Gold's ultimate goal, but like Henry knew, Gold was aware that telling Emma everything too soon wouldn't be a good move. Thanks for reading!

**Marcie Gore:** LMAO! Gold's accustomed to getting his way, so he obviously isn't familiar with women like Emma. :P He has the "just say please" arrangement with Regina, but Emma? He can't tether her down too easily. lol And thank you, I'm glad you like it!

**Artemis450:** Aww, thank you, I'm so glad you think so!

**last to dance:** LMAO! Sadly no, Henry isn't a stow-away this time, haha, but totally agree about the bell! And thank you! I'm trying my best to upload by every Sunday, so I'm hoping I can continue to do so. :)

**helikesitheymikey:** Aw, shucks, that was a goof on my part! Sometimes I feel my sentence will need an extra word, so apparently I picked the wrong one. XD But I'm glad you enjoyed it! The last chapter was another "rawr" one for me, and I was so surprised when I managed to finish.

I was going to include the description of marks on her wrists, but for whatever reason, I decided against it. Silly me. lol

As you can see, Henry didn't stow-away in the car. :P Hopefully this chapter answered a little bit of your questions, and if not, the next one more than likely will. As always, I love all your well-thought out observations!

**DiMerasLover:** Thank you so much! I watched the "Sleeping Princess" episode on YT, and had to smile since Lotor's "stalker-ish-ness" was very much like Gold, so I can definitely see how you found resemblances to Gemma. Glad you liked it!

**JordanGoombette:** Thanks, glad you enjoyed!

**Lady Elena Bella Petrova:** Thank you, hopefully this was a quick enough update!

**DarkFairy207:** Haha, well let's just say she won't be entirely pleased. ;) And thank you, glad you liked it!

red lightning: Thank you so much!

**ElizaSP:** Haha, you and me both! Seriously, I was shocked I finished so quickly. I definitely think so, too. ;) Especially now that I've seen those gifs on the forum, because her eyes just hold something in them that show she's captivated. I'm sure she doesn't WANT to be attracted to Gold in any way, shape or form, but it's kind of unavoidable. He's an enigma, and I'm sure she wants to uncover his mystery so she can stop him. I WANT AN ALMOST KISS, TOO. lol Glad you liked it!

**Ravenclaw992:** Aww, well thank you so much, I really appreciate that! Haha, well Emma's not going to be overly thrilled, I can tell ya that much. ;) I WANT MORE GEMMA SCENES. If Gold's an absentee again, I just may scream... I'm actually more excited to see the preview for the "Skin Deep" episode than the actual show. Is that weird? lol I think it's because I'm almost positive Gold won't be in it, again.


	7. Desperate Souls

**A/N****: **First of all, I am SO sorry for taking so long. This was supposed to be the "fun" chapter to write, yet for whatever reason, my inspiration was practically non-existent for the past few weeks. And then after watching Skin Deep? Yeah. I honestly thought of scrapping this story, because it frustrated me SO much/put a wrench in a lot of my plans. I just found the Rumpelle relationship super forced, and I didn't really like seeing that emo/human side of Rumpel. I prefer him being an imp, so sue me. I also didn't like their interpretation of Belle, because she was more giggly than one of Gaston's Bimbettes. SO irritating! I actually tried making a crossover vid (with Belle), and she needed to be a prisoner/horrified, but then I came to an insane realization: BELLE NEVER FROWNS/CRIES IS UPSET LIKE THE ORIGINAL, BECAUSE SHE LIKES RUMPELSTILTSKIN FROM THE GET-GO. Sorry for ranting, but Skin Deep was NOT the sweet, tentative love story that I've adored since my childhood. If anything, they liked each other from the beginning, and Belle didn't show him ANY form of defiance. Not exactly behavior for a girl who's been ripped from all that she knows and loves, but hey, what do I know? I'm just a gal who believes you can't write an OTP romance in 45 minutes.

RANT OVER.

So yes, in answer to one of my recent reviews, I will NOT NOT NOT NOT (was that a quadruple negative? :P) be including Belle in this story. Gold and Emma's relationship is already complex enough as is, so I don't need to add a third wheel to the story to complicate things. Seriously, it would NEVER end if I did, so I'm trying to make things as easy for me as possible. I'll probably refer to Belle at one point during one of Gold's internal musings, but as far as I'm concerned? BELLE DIED IN FAIRYTALE LAND AND DOES NOT EXIST IN STORYBROOKE.

In other news, this story has officially left the realm of "T," so you'll no longer find it in the K-T section. I'm hoping the ending of this chapter won't seem weird/off to you guys, so to further solidify my point, I'll be explaining why Gold and Emma did what they did at the end of the chapter. I need to explain myself a lot, don't I? lol

**CH 7: Desperate Souls  
><strong>

The drive back to Storybrooke had been silent and amiable, but only because Emma was far too distressed to argue or make demands. The minute Gold pulled in front of the apartment complex she shared with Mary Margaret, he moved to get out and open the door for her, but Emma wordlessly got out herself and went around to his side of the car. Eyes puffy and devoid of the spark he'd grown to adore, she held out her hands as a silent demand to be released.

Not needing any provocation, Gold unfastened the zip ties and made an attempt at speech, but Emma's back was already facing him as she retreated toward the building. Her movements were stiff and careless, and Gold hated to admit to himself that _he_ was the cause of her degeneration. Very much like himself, Emma didn't feel the will to go on without her child present.

Gripping the steering wheel between his hands, Gold sent the heavens a vengeful look before putting the car in reverse.

Emma, meanwhile, had made it to her apartment and shuffled listlessly toward the kitchen.

"Emma?" Popping her head out from the bedroom, Mary Margaret's heart gave a leap of recognition the minute she saw the blonde. "Oh, Emma, you're alright!"

"Am I?" she dryly asked, sitting down at the counter with a despondent plop. "Henry is _gone,_ Mary, and it's all my fault..."

The school teacher winced. "Oh no, so you've heard... Emma, I am _so_ sorry, but you know we'll get him back, don't you? Regina has the finest detectives on the case, and-"

"Oh, to _hell_ with Regina!" Emma thundered. "I'm willing to wager that _she's_ the reason he ran away in the first place!"

"Oh, Emma..."

"No, I'm serious! That witch can't honestly expect a _child_ to remain under her oppressive thumb - Henry is a _smart_ boy, Mary, so he probably decided to..." Trailing off, Emma's face lost all color and her mouth opened almost helplessly.

Bewildered by her friend's sudden reaction, Mary Margaret reached over and touched the blonde's wrist. "Emma," she uneasily began, "Emma, what's wrong? Talk to me..."

"Gold," the blonde whispered, her lips almost appearing bloodless. "He whisked me off into the night without letting me leave a _single_ note, so what if Henry decided to come looking for me? Oh God, Mary, that means he could be _anywhere!"_

Slipping an arm around Emma's shoulders, Mary Margaret sat down beside her and soothed, "No, honey, we don't know that for certain... You're _not_ helping yourself by thinking up these scenarios, so why don't you just go get some rest?"

Emma scoffed. "Right, because I can just magically shut off my brain... Mary, I _can't_ stop thinking about Henry!"

Appearing pained, the school teacher drew back and announced, "Well, maybe Regina will have good news at the banquet tonight... I somehow have a good feeling about all of this."

Looking up from her hands, Emma immediately shook her head. "Oh, no...no, no, no, you can't _seriously_ expect me to go to that, can you?"

"You're our sheriff now, so you _have_ to," Mary Margaret reminded her. "It's Storybrooke's annual fundraiser, so anyone with any means of importance is expected to attend."

Emma grimaced. "Then that means Mr. Gold...?"

"Will be attending? Yes, I'm afraid so." Now rising from her seat, she announced, "I went dress shopping earlier this evening, so you can borrow one of mine again, if you'd like. I have a real red-hot number that I _know_ will stop men in their tracks."

"Well, if they literally stop and screw off, that'd be wonderful," Emma grumbled. "I'm sorry, Mare, but I'm not exactly in the mood to get all dolled up..."

"Then let _me_ do the "dolling up" for you," Mary Margaret persisted. "I think we _both_ know that all eyes will be on you tonight, so I think it'd be in your best interest to appear strong and unaffected. At the very least, it may keep Regina from further pouring salt in the wound."

Emma nodded, but her response was very noncommittal. "Promise you'll never leave my side tonight, ok? I seriously don't think I could handle anyone's questions..."

"Of course, sweetie - I'll even ignore my date for you," Mary Margaret wryly assured her.

Emma found she couldn't even make the joke she desired, for her stomach was in knots over the idea that her son was hurt. Miserably allowing Mary Margaret to lead her into the bathroom, she sulked and stood in front of the mirror like the school teacher instructed.

"Do you mind if I ask what you and Gold did while you were gone?"

Emma's scowl deepened. "Do I mind? Actually yes, I mind _very_ much, Mary, and I seriously don't want to talk about it. What happened out there was _no_ choice of mine, and that's all you really need to know."

Dipping a makeup brush into some eyeshadow, Mary Margaret appeared thoughtful before asking, "Well why haven't you arrested him yet? Surely the man can't get away with kidnapping _and_ breaking and entering..."

"You'd be surprised," Emma bitterly returned. "Believe me, I've thought about it, but deep-down I know he'll just get away with it - he always does."

Although Mary Margaret wanted to ask what _really _happened on the trip, she held her tongue and began to paint Emma's eyelids. After a moment, she softly mumbled, "Well for your sake, I hope Gold won't try anything tonight."

"Yeah, well if he does? He'll be needing to be whisked off to the emergency room," Emma snarled. "I'm serious, Mary, I am _so_ upset with him right now... For a minute there, I almost found him tolerable."

In spite of herself, the school teacher couldn't help but blanch. "Uhh, come again? The man breaks into our house and kidnaps you, yet you say you almost found him _tolerable?"_

"Ugh, God, _never mind!_ It doesn't matter," Emma growled. "I mean, can we just drop it? I am _this_ close to committing a murder, and I'd rather it didn't end up being you."

Mary Margaret winced. "Ok, wow...fair enough. I'll just finish your makeup and give you your dress for tonight."

Emma sighed, but said nothing. At this rate, she wanted to stick her head in an over and just be done with it.

* * *

><p>As Mary Margaret predicted, every person of influence had arrived for the fundraiser. Rubbing elbows with the townspeople was one thing, but having to pretend she <em>liked<em> them was a completely different matter to Emma. For one, many of them were rich snobs who preferred comparing bank statements over giving money to charity. Of course, there were _some_ kind-hearted people present, but Emma was far too distracted by individuals like Gold and Regina to enjoy herself.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, finally able to pry Mary Margaret away from Whale as they headed for a table. Their names were neatly printed on high-priced, exorbitant cardstock with gold leaf trim.

Rolling her eyes at the place settings, Emma then noticed the name across from hers and instantly froze. "You have _got_ to be kidding me...is this some sort of joke?"

"What?" Mary Margaret demanded, only to follow her friend's gaze and pale. "Oh... Well if it makes you feel any better, I don't think he was assigned to sit with us on purpose."

Emma scoffed. "When Regina's involved, these sort of things are _never_ a coincidence."

"No truer words have been spoken," Gold agreed, thus causing both women to jerk around in surprise. Now that he had their attention, he warmly greeted, "Hello, Miss Blanchard...Sheriff." Here he nodded. "It's so very nice to see you both again so soon."

Emma bristled, yet found she couldn't speak the words she yearned to express. Instead, she felt the heat in her cheeks rising when Gold's dark, shark-like eyes roved appreciatively over her curves. Down, down, down they went, only to quickly return to linger on her barely concealed cleavage.

_Pervert._

"Shall we have a seat?" he asked.

Emma stood glowering at him, but Mary Margaret, always the peacemaker, made the first move and began ushering her toward her chair.

Sitting with an unabashed sense of disdain, Emma draped her napkin over her lap and looked down at her empty wine glass. If it wasn't filled within the next _three minutes,_ she just might make a scene...

Now staring down at her hands, she could feel Gold's eyes burning into her and she shivered. After she'd had enough of his scrutiny, she snapped, "What do you want? I don't like being appraised like a piece of meat!"

Gold appeared momentarily affronted, but his trademark smile came into place and he shook his head. "Ah, Miss Swan, must I _always_ have an ulterior motive in your eyes? I'm merely hoping we all can have a nice conversation tonight."

"Yeah? Well you pretty much killed _that_ chance when you kidnapped me, terrorized me, and caused my _son_ to end up going missing."

At this barb Gold visibly paled, his lips pressing together as he smoothed the front of his blazer. Emma hadn't noticed before, but the lines on his face seemed deeper, and his eyes were faintly bloodshot. Why did he seem so upset?

Mary Margaret had been nervously staring off to the side (obviously wishing she were anywhere _but_ that table), but took this moment to try and restore a sense of cheer. "So, Mr. Gold," she began, "have you gotten any interesting new stock for your store lately?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're not seriously pretending you care, are you? We don't have to be civil with each other just because we're at the same table."

Balking, Mary Margaret found she could only open and close her mouth in mute horror.

Mr. Gold, however, appeared unruffled by the blonde's attitude. He'd grown accustomed to her outbursts, and in this instance didn't blame her for hating him. He'd single-handedly brought their son into danger, and could only hope and pray for his safe return.

At that moment, a tormented wail rose from the front entrance, and a distraught Regina Mills came rushing into the dining hall.

"Who did this?" she demanded, eyes wild as she held up a piece of paper. _"Who_ has my son?"

Gold rose as though attached to a spring, his eyes wide as he furiously gripped his cane. Regina, however, somehow missed this instinctive reaction and continued to wave the paper about.

"Someone knows where he is..._give me my son!"_ she thundered.

Unable to take the suspense, Emma also rose and demanded, "What does the note say, Madame Mayor? Why do you think someone has Henry?"

Eyes cold and accusatory, Regina handed over the parchment and Emma took it with trembling fingers. "If you want to see your son alive again, things need to start changing around here," she breathlessly read, her face ghost-white as she stared down at the typed words in shock. "No..."

Viciously snatching the paper from Emma's hands, Regina then turned back toward their audience and snapped, _"Well?_ One of you has to know something about this, so you'd better start talking _now_ before I find out about your involvement!"

Exchanging horrified glances with Mary Margaret, Emma placed a hand over her chest and tried to steady her breathing. As she did so, she caught sight of Gold briskly limping off toward the exit.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Emma grabbed her purse and stealthily snuck out after him.

* * *

><p>"You son of a bitch!"<p>

Looking up from a lamp he was polishing, Gold stiffened as Emma slammed the door and began to heatedly approach him.

Extending her index finger, she shouted, "It's your fault I wasn't here for Henry - it's _your_ fault he ran away to find me!"

For the first time in his life, Gold found he could say absolutely nothing in return. Instead, his fingers gripped his polishing rag so tightly that his bones began to ache, his lips turning downward as he tried to save face. Henry was his son, so of _course_ he was already blaming himself for the boy's disappearance.

Close to tears, Emma was now directly in front of him, her face red from suppressing emotion as she shrilled, _"Well?_ Aren't you going to say anything? Perhaps an 'I'm sorry' for being such a stupid, ignorant _asshole?"_

When Gold still failed to respond, Emma gave a shriek and smacked the polishing rag right out of his hand. Catching her by the wrist, Gold surprised her by yanking her body flush against his own, his mouth angling roughly over hers in an act that both silenced and infuriated her.

Tongues battling for dominance, the couple soon found themselves crashing into the counter, Gold carelessly clearing the surface and causing several items to scatter to the floor.

Struggling within his grasp, Emma began to urgently shrug off her shawl as Gold assisted in the removal of the bothersome garment. With his hands supporting Emma's bottom, he lifted her legs and forced them apart as he tore her black, lacy panties straight from her body. Grinding against her bared heat, Gold gave a hiss of pain when Emma bit his bottom lip so hard that it began to bleed. Licking the blood away, he assaulted Emma's lips once more as she squirmed beneath him, his ears ringing as the blonde's fist connected squarely with his jaw.

Now grappling as if they were in some sort of street brawl, Gold allowed Emma to kick, punch, scratch, and bite him as they groped at one another, his teeth gritting when the little succubus gripped him firmly between the legs.

Crashing his mouth forcibly against hers, Gold stormed his tongue past her lips and grunted when Emma rolled over top of him.

Breathing heavily, Emma began to unfasten Gold's pants before delivering a swift punch to his gut. Winded from the surprise blow, the older man lurched forward and found his lips entrapped by Emma's once more, his hips giving an involuntary jerk when she reached inside his pants and stroked him.

Tongue tracing along his lips, Emma lifted a leg and straddled Gold as they laid sprawled out across the counter, her hand now guiding him toward her throbbing heat as her teeth sunk into his bottom lip. A sense of pride filled her when Gold moaned into her open mouth, her nails now digging into his cheeks and drawing blood as she began to slowly, tortuously ease herself down Gold's arousal.

Gritting his teeth, the pawnbroker fought off a growl as Emma teased him, his hands grasping at her hips as he desperately tried to force her down to the hilt.

Cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted, Emma began to pant from the effort it took to keep up her tease. The man _deserved_ to suffer, so she'd be sure to prolong his agony for as long as humanly possible. For once _she_ was in control, and she was damn well going to savor in Gold's sudden weakness.

At that moment Gold thrust up into her heat, and Emma gave a cry before bowing forward, her eyes blazing as she reared back and struck him clear across the face. Again and again she slapped him, the adrenaline running through her veins now causing her to harshly, almost frantically ride the aroused man beneath her.

"You smug son of a bitch," she hissed, completely breathless as she rose and fell against the desperate jerk of his hips.

Gold found that he could only give a soft snarl in response, his face stinging from her slaps as she sporadically struck him. Digging his nails into her undulating hips, he gave a soft hiss as he felt her walls gripping him like an iron vice.

Hair falling into her line of vision, Emma panted as she began to bounce up and down his shaft at a more urgent pace. She could sense the end approaching, and she wanted nothing more than to take him down a few pegs.

Striking Gold for good measure, Emma hissed, "How do you like _that,_ you smug son of a...? _Oh!"_ Head tossing back, the blonde was instantly silenced when she began to contract around his girth, her back arching as she dug her nails into his arms and screamed.

Gold winced as her center began to abruptly milk him, her orgasm causing him to follow soon after in a rush of liquid fire.

By this point Emma was crying - _sobbing, even_ - her self-loathing only mounting as she rolled off of Gold and straightened her dress. Her dear, sweet little boy was out there somewhere _needing_ her, yet here she was, fucking the frustration out of her body with Storybrooke's infamous dealer.

When Gold moved to speak, Emma gave a fierce,_ "Don't,"_ her eyes glittering with an odd mixture of lust and disdain as she tore away from him and stood up. Wiping at her eyes, she reluctantly turned to face him and choked out, "As far as I'm concerned? You don't exist. This was just a _severe_ lapse of sanity."

Bewildered, Gold shakily tucked himself into his pants and rose from the counter. "But Emma-love..."

"Don't you fucking _call_ me that!" she screamed. "I will never, _ever_ be your love!"

Gold's eyes flashed dangerously, yet all he could do was grit his teeth. If she wanted to keep dancing around the inevitable, then so be it. "Get out," he softly urged, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just _go."_

"Don't worry, I never plan on coming back to your goddamn shop ever again!" she barked, now slamming the door so hard behind her that the shelves rattled. In that instant, the bell overhead broke off and went skittering to the floor, Gold's jaw twitching as the silver object rolled directly alongside his foot.

Well, he'd be damned...she'd broken his little bell.

**A/N:** Sorry, couldn't resist the last line - for some reason I'd been wanting to have her _actually_ break his bell after "Desperate Souls." lol And yes, I know the love scene may seem random and weird, but believe it or not, a _lot_ of people become aroused when angry or upset. Ever heard of people loving angry sex? Well, I'd like to think that sort of thing is right up Gold and Emma's alley. ;) It's a form of venting frustration, so if anything, they both just snapped under the pressure and relieved themselves in the only way they knew how.

From here on out, I definitely can't promise a weekly update. I know how I want to end this, but the only problem is getting there.

At this time, I'd like to thank my LOVELY reviewers. You're all so amazing, THANK YOU!

**Funky Giraffe:** I finally wrote more, yay! :P Sorry I took so long! And no, Gold doesn't tell Emma about their child just yet, but I promise it'll be soon. ;) Thanks for reading!

**aoeicfzs slasdkvsflwei:** I'm sorry you didn't like my story. I guess I shouldn't be writing this since you're not ever going to see this, but thanks for reading the three chapters that you did!

**Twilightluver1966:** I sure will, don't worry! ;) I've just been in a bit of a creative slump lately. Quite frankly, I've been spoiling you guys with my weekly updates, because my usual update time is 3-4 weeks.

**DarkFairy207: **Aww, well thank you, that really means a lot to me! Seriously, it does. :) I'm very sorry I kept you and the others waiting. I love your new story, by the way! And I'm glad you didn't find my last chapter boring. lol

**helikesitheymikey:** Wow, you're reading it again? You must be bored! LOL And don't worry, I REFUSE to bring Belle into this. I can't say I really liked her, which is sad since she is my absolute FAVORITE princess of all time. I hated that they turned her into such a shallow, watered down version of the original. I say shallow, because she seemed to love the IDEA of Rumpel more so than the actual man. She kept harping on how he was once a "normal man," and she asked Regina if the kiss would make him "normal" again. That to me means she doesn't truly love him. At least, not the way she should. :/ And that's a really good point. I doubt she WOULD want to play second fiddle, which is also why I have a feeling she erects all those walls. She's accustomed to disappointment, so she doesn't want the chance of love in case it backfires.

**Eden Graham:** Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate that!

**last to dance:** LOL It's ok, stupid auto correct! ;P Sometimes that feature writes the oddest things... haha But don't worry, I understood you. :) And thank you so much! Hopefully I didn't keep you guys waiting TOO long!

**ClaudiaRain:** Aww, well thank you very much! I'm so happy you think they're in character, because I've found they're probably the hardest ones to nail. :)

**Lycy:** Hopefully this was fast enough for you! lol

**Alamy:** Hopefully this wasn't a disappointment since I kept you waiting! ;)

**khan81:** Oh pshaw, don't feel bad! I love reading your story! And thank you so much! I really hope this theory comes true on the show...

**Tori: **Thank you, I'm so glad you like it!

**DamnationoftheDead:** Hahaha, well when you put it _that_ way... ;D Thanks so much for reading!

**Miriette:** LOL Well when you're drunk/have many one night stands, that sort of thing tends to happen. :P And I think Gold and Emma's scenes sizzle for a reason, so even if they don't get together any time soon, I wouldn't say never to the possibility.

**lady-hook:** LOLOLOL Yeah, this is the HBO version for sure. ;P I wish we could at least get a heavy make-out scene, but so far nothing on the show is remotely "hot 'n' heavy." I'm so glad you think everyone's in character so far!

**ElizaSP:** Aww, well I'm glad you didn't find it boring! lol I guess I just felt it was too similar to the chapter before it, so I was bored writing it. I naturally loved that part on the show, too. How could I not? ;P I need to re-immerse myself in the "good ol' episodes" to forget the horror otherwise known as Skin Deep. LOL

**Rylee87:** Sorry! xP lol Henry is...somewhere. :) I can't say just yet! Thanks for reading!

**Emerald Imagination:** Oh wow, well thank you so much! And I agree, I LOVE the theory, and I hope it's true! Tell your brother it's an awesome theory, and that he needs to accept it! ;P

**Dr. Temperance Brennan:** LOL I can't help but love them. Any time two people share such brilliant chemistry, I'm automatically drawn like a moth to the flame. I'm glad this fic doesn't repulse you! LOL

**Hippiechic1967:** Sorry for the cliffhanger, especially since it took me so long to update! And I'm so glad you like it so much. :)

**wishfullliving89:** Thank you so much! Sorry if I kept you guys waiting!

**Suzie Q:** Aww, thanks for reading/reviewing all my chapters! That really means a lot to me!

**RavenClaw992:** I agree on hooking up right away to be OOC... This is probably the slowest I've ever taken a relationship, and it's KILLING ME. lol But fortunately, now that I've got a love scene out of the way, I won't feel inclined to rush. It's much easier to take things slow when there's no "GOTTA GET 'EM TO KISS!" reaction from my end. LOL I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading!

**MonkeysDoctorWho1987:** Haha, yay for catching up! I'm so glad you liked that part, because I was uncertain of it. :)

**E:** I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY. WHERE IS ALL THE GEMMA? NEED MOOOORE! lol I loved how in Skin Deep, it seemed that EMMA was doing the flirting instead of the other way around for a change. The sandwich scene was just so cute. :P And so far it looks like things aren't working in our favor, but at least Gold and Emma were giving each other sex eyes when she arrested him. Someone has a fetiiish! ;P Thanks for reading!

**TheWordMasterofFiction:** Gemma was sadly never very popular (in comparison to other ships), but I'll agree that the Rumbelle ship has taken off like nobody's business. I honestly can't see why, because I didn't find their relationship believable or interesting... But oh well, I'll never stop shipping. :) And thank you, I appreciate that!

**Lady Elena Bella Petrova:** Thank you so much, hope you liked the update!

**thablueGRRL:** LOLOL A guard dog? Somehow I could see Emma doing that. :P Cute idea. Thanks so much for reading!

**Morzan's Elvish Daughter:** Thank you for pointing that out - I fixed it the minute I got your review. ;) Sometimes I write things and forget I wrote something that prevents said thing from happening realistically... LOL

**Musicalfan2012:** Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! And I agree full-heartedly...I really wish we had more Gemma scenes on the show!


	8. A Slip of the Tongue

**A/N****: **Wowzers, I feel like I've been gone forever. I've been able to do Gemma artwork, but my writing's been suffering lately. I apologize for that. :/ An anti-Gold x Emma troll actually invigorated my inspiration, so you got a quicker update than originally intended. The fandom has been a nasty place ever since "Skin Deep" aired, so I plan on staying inside my Gemma bubble and living life in blissful ignorance. lol Enjoy! ;)

**CH 8: A Slip of the Tongue  
><strong>

"Morning, Gold."

Looking up from his work upon Regina's entry, Gold's eyes narrowed and he placed his palms flat against the counter. "You're awful _cheery_ this morning, considering all that's happened."

"Yes, well perhaps I just have hope," Regina shot back, smiling as she smugly approached him. "You seem to forget I know a lot more about you and Miss Swan than meets the eye."

"Oh?" Gold asked, appearing unamused. "Forgive me, but I fail to see how that's more important than your own _son."_

Regina scowled. "And what would _you_ know about parenting, Gold? Everything you touch ends up being destroyed."

Adam's apple bobbing reflexively, Gold gripped at the edge of the counter and leaned in close. "If you merely came to belittle me in my own shop, I suggest you leave before I _force_ you."

"Very well," Regina agreed, shrugging as she unearthed an envelope from her purse. Now placing it onto the counter, she slyly explained, "Sidney does remarkable work, don't you think? He's able to capture so much depth and _emotion."_

Eyes hard as flint, Gold opened the envelope and withdrew several vivid, graphic snapshots of himself entangled in Emma's arms. With a slight smile, he countered, "You _do_ realize that you can't blackmail with these, don't you? It was a very foolish decision to bring these to light."

Regina frowned. "I wanted you to _know_ I know, so I'd say I accomplished what I set out to do."

"Perhaps," Gold agreed, "but it would've been _far_ wiser to publish these without my knowledge." Now tearing up the lewd photographs, he coyly added, "If you have the negatives, give them to be now, _please."_

Pale, Regina instantly realized her mistake and begrudgingly handed them over.

"Oh, and if you have any other bits of incriminating evidence, destroy them the minute you get back to your office, please."

Eyes narrowing, Regina pointed a finger at him and challenged, "Just how long do you think you can keep up this tacky little charade, Gold? Sooner or later, you _will_ slip up again, and when that day comes, I'll be right here waiting to pick up the pieces."

"Get out," Gold urged, his tone dangerous as he picked up his polishing rag. "Perhaps if you spent as much time on your son as you do defaming me, Henry wouldn't have sought out his _real_ mother in the first place."

Regina felt her temper flare. "You'll regret that," she warned, yet she said nothing more as she turned and stormed toward the exit.

Jaw clenching, Gold picked up the object he'd been polishing and threw it to the floor. It was made of brass, so it merely skittered and rolled to a stop somewhere near the front entrance.

Head bent and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, Gold _knew_ that he had to brave a visit to Emma's for the sake of his own sanity. Regina was hiding something, but until he figured out what that something was, he didn't dare get Emma's hopes up.

* * *

><p>"Can I get you anything? Hot cocoa? Chocolate? Maybe a nice scotch?"<p>

Not even cracking a smile, Emma hugged a pillow to her chest and curled in on herself. Eyes bloodshot and make-up smudged, she was fully aware of how she must look to the other woman. She'd been up for hours trying to find Henry, and this was the first time she'd even bothered to lie down.

With a sigh, Mary Margaret moved over to have a seat at the edge of the bed, but that's when she noticed the dark, purplish bruises on her friend's arms. "Emma, what on earth happened to you? These almost look like fingers..."

Images of Gold thrusting up into her pliant body flashed across Emma's mind, then she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing, I...I must've bumped into a wall last night."

Mary Margaret clearly didn't believe her, but she didn't want to cause the blonde anymore pain than necessary. "Are you at least feeling any better?"

Emma grunted in response, then rolled over to see if Mary Margaret was actually serious. Upon seeing the teacher's piteous look, the blonde groaned and buried her face in her pillow._ "Please_ don't look at me like that, Mary... At the end of the day, all I truly want is for someone to act like everything's back to normal."

"But everything's _not_ back to normal," Mary Margaret gently insisted. "You can't just run away from your problems like this, Emma... You need to face them once and for all before it gets any worse."

Emma scoffed. "Oh, you mean like with you and David? Yeah, you've done a _wonderful_ job of upholding your own advice." When Mary Margaret winced, the blonde sighed and finally pulled herself into a sitting position. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," she mumbled. "You're right, I _am_ running from my problems, and it's not fair of me to take it all out on you... I guess I just need some time to pull it all together."

Mary Margaret smiled sadly. "I'll tell you what: you get yourself a little power nap, and then I'll go out looking with you. Regina's search party is out combing the woods as we speak, so you don't have to worry about nothing being done for Henry."

"But _I'm_ not out there..."

"No," the school teacher agreed, "but you're worth _far_ more to him rested than being in the state you're in now. If you were to go out looking for him, you could easily end up walking right past him because you're so exhausted. Get some rest, alright? You'll feel _much_ better if you do."

Emma sniffed. "Perhaps, but Henry will still be missing when I wake up, so I _won't_ feel better."

"You don't know that for certain..." Gently rubbing the blonde's blanketed leg, Mary Margaret murmured, "I won't pretend to know that we'll find Henry for sure, but what I _do_ know is he's got the best possible sheriff out there looking for him."

Emma gave a tired smile. "Thanks, Mary."

The school teacher mirrored her smile, but before she could venture any other thought-provoking advice, a series of knocks came at the door. The pounding was urgent, so Mary Margaret hastily excused herself and went rushing into the living room.

Emma could hear a soft, almost furtive exchange of words, and before she knew it, both Mary Margaret and Mr. Gold were at the foot of her bed.

"Emma, my dear, I really _must_ speak with you," he urged, thus causing her to snort and roll over onto her stomach. With a pause, Gold earnestly added, "It's about Henry..."

Instantly shooting up in bed, Emma turned her wall-eyed stare to him and choked out, _"Henry?_ What do you know about my son?"

Sensing the tension between them, Mary Margaret cleared her throat and announced, "I'll, um...I'll go take a walk."

Neither Gold nor Emma responded as she turned to leave, for both were far too busy staring at one another - Emma accusing and Gold pleading.

When they were completely alone, Emma irritably provoked, _"Well?_ It's cruel of you to keep me waiting like this, you know..."

Gold cleared his throat, then hesitantly had a seat at the foot of her bed. The blonde seemed none too pleased by this action, but the look on his face prevented any possible outburst.

Rubbing at his upper lip, the pawnbroker finally turned his solemn eyes to Emma's and confessed, "I'm afraid I don't know where Henry is, Miss Swan, but I _do_ have some theories."

"Oh, to _hell_ with your theories!" Emma snarled. "You're the reason I lost my son in the first place!"

Gold's dark eyes were hard as stone. "Miss Swan, you _know_ that's not completely true..."

"Do I?" With a bitter laugh, she crisply fired back, "If you hadn't taken me away, I would've been here for Henry... I would've been here when he _needed_ me."

Gold's expression was pained. "Emma," he earnestly began, "I swear to you, my intentions were honorable. If I'd known just how much pain I'd cause, I never would've taken you away from Storybrooke."

Emma sneered, yet her expression lacked all mirth. "Just why _did_ you kidnap me, anyway? I mean, did we ever do anything of importance? No. Did I reach some strange, astounding epiphany? No. Did I discover the true meaning of life?_ No._ As far as I'm concerned, our trip was a _complete_ waste of time!"

Gold exhaled deeply through his nostrils. She was right, of course, for they really _hadn't_ accomplished anything of importance.

"I'm sorry," he lamely returned, "really, I am... I took you away with the intentions of enlightenment, but as soon as we arrived, I knew you weren't ready for the truth."

Emma was livid. "What, so you couldn't have figured that out _before_ kidnapping me?"

"I know it's hard to understand, but-"

"You're damn _right,_ it's hard to understand! I don't even know why you bothered coming here... I told you we had nothing more to say to one another, and I meant it." Tempted to strike the sorrowful look right off Gold's face, Emma pointed a shaking finger toward her door and urged, "Out. I can't take any more arguing with you on top of everything else."

"Very well," Gold agreed, yet he hesitated since he yearned to express exactly why he'd come.

In that moment, a loud knock at the door decided their fates for them, and the pawnbroker excused himself so he could receive the caller. The minute he opened the door, however, he discovered that the hallway was completely barren.

With a frown of suspicion, he lowered his eyes and spotted a small package at his feet.

"Who is it?" Emma asked, now entering the room behind him.

Bending over in order to pick up the box, Gold inspected the alleged gift and explained, "I'm not certain... The only thing out there was this tag-less package."

"Well let me see - if it's for me or Mary Margaret, it's no business of yours," Emma impatiently pointed out. When Gold relinquished his hold on the box, the blonde tore it open and began sifting through the tissue paper.

Peering over Emma's shoulders with unabashed curiosity, Gold's mouth went dry the moment he saw a bloody scrap of cloth.

Lifting the attached note with trembling fingers, Emma breathlessly revealed, "It's Henry's..."

Gripping his cane so tightly that his bones ached, Gold placed a hand on the dazed Emma and tried to steer her toward a chair. "Sit down, my dear, please...let's try and think through this rationally."

Emma gave a humorless laugh. "Rationally? A piece of my son's bloody _shirt_ is in this box, and you want me to think _rationally?"_

"Emma, we don't even know that's really his blood..."

"What, so you're just suggesting I not worry about it? That I just shrug it off as though it were _nothing?_ Gold, that's my _son!"_

"He's _my_ son, too!"

Silence ensconced them so thickly that they could hear one another breathing, Gold's limbs trembling from the adrenaline as he moistened his lips. "E-Emma, I..."

"What did you say?"

He paled. "Nothing, I just..."

"No, seriously...what the _hell_ did you just say, Gold?" Her eyes were blazing as she glared up at him, almost daring him to repeat the monstrosity she _knew_ was a lie.

Gold's jaw set and he returned her fiery gaze, his voice soft and surprisingly calm as he urged, "I suggest you have a seat, my dear."

* * *

><p>"Regina, I can't do this to them..."<p>

The mayor gave a dry laugh. "You can't be serious, August. I catch you red-handed in the kidnapping of my son, and now you think I'll let you go _without_ strings attached?"

The author narrowed his eyes. "I suppose not, but you're using him as a _pawn,_ Regina. I only meant to keep him for a few days so you could start seeing the fault in your methods."

With a disdainful scoff, the mayor pointed a finely lacquered nail at him and snapped, "Listen to me and listen to me good, Booth: Henry is Emma's weakness, and Emma is _Gold's_ weakness, so I can't just let things return to the way they were. If you go through with this as planned, you will be rewarded quite handsomely."

August's gaze was hard. "I kidnapped Henry with the intention of changing you for the better, not for money."

"Then how's this for a reward? I'll drop the charges and pretend like this never happened. Or..." Here Regina lifted her shoulders in an elevated shrug. _"Or_ I can call up Sheriff Swan and have your ass thrown in jail. The choice is yours, Booth, but I suggest you choose wisely."

With that, Regina spun around on her heel and headed for the exit, August raking a hand through his hair as he cursed his inevitable decision.

**A/N: **Oh Goldie, you're so silly. :') So yes, it's FINALLY out. I know a lot of you have been waiting for Emma to find out about Gold, sooo here it is! Er...part of it. The continuation of that will obviously be in the next chapter. :)

At this time, I'd like to thank my LOVELY reviewers. You're all so amazing, THANK YOU!

**randress89:** Finally updated! :P Thanks for reading!

**PrettyChelsea:** Hopefully this chapter shed a bit of light onto your question. :) And thank you so much, that means a lot!

**ShiftingWinds125:** LOL Who doesn't like some good ol' angry sex? XD *coughs* I actually really like that idea...where were you when I needed a plot bunny? :P

**Funky Giraffe:** Haha, I'm sorry, I'm a slowpoke lately. :P But thank you, you're so sweet!

**DarkFairy207:** Thanks so much, hon! :)

**ElizaSP:** You and me both. :P If Emma broke that damn cup, I'd be cheering up a storm. I never thought the writers would make me dislike my favorite princess! x_X Aaand, I guess the spoilers didn't turn in our favor, seeing as to how there was ZERO Gemma. ...Again. ;_; I guess I'll just have to keep on relying on fanfiction to satiate my inner fangirl. lol

**imagine808:** Haha, I'm sorry you're confused! :P Feel free to ask me what's been bugging you. And thanks so much!

**Twilightluver1966:** Thank you very much! I'm glad you think it was a speedy update, considering how out of sync I've been lately. LOL I spoiled you guys with weekly updates, but now I'm all brain dead. xP

**southernanimechick:** Aww, well thank you, I really appreciate that! I'm so glad you like it!

**Musicalfan2012:** Thank you, I'm so glad you thought so! And it kinda-sorta ended in your favor, since Gold was an idiot and accidentally let his tongue flap. :P

**AntlersontheMoose:** Haha, well thank you! My love scenes can get a bit over the top sometimes... *coughs*

**Emerald Imagination:** Well, you're partially right. ;) Regina's always behind everything, haha. And I saw the nice review you left in defense of khan81 - on behalf of Gold x Emma fans everywhere, I really appreciated that since the troll left a comment on my fic, too. I deleted it, of course, and he/she/it failed since they actually INSPIRED me to write more! lol I'm actually disgusted since they're bargaining to make Emilie a regular in season 2, so it seems we may never catch a break. I honestly may stop watching if that's the case, 'cause I can't take much more of this canon vs non-canon hate. And thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**Ravenclaw992:** LOL Thank you. xP If Gold can't be Henry's father on the show, I at the very least want Emma to break his bell or his tea cup. :P And yep, you guessed it right! *hands you a cookie* I don't mind Belle per se, but I can't say I like her since she's a very flat interpretation of the princess I know and love.

**hippiechic1967:** Thank you, I'm so glad you think so!

**Dr. Temperance Brennan:** I agree with that, and it really makes me nervous. I'm afraid Regina will "disable" Gold somehow, and will thus prevent him from assisting Emma because of Belle. I really don't want that to happen, but hey, the show's already done everything _else_ I didn't want, so what's one more storyline? lol And I can understand why you might've viewed it as odd. I'm familiar with the connection, but I still felt the need to give a disclaimer in case other people weren't. Thank you very much, and thanks for reading!

**helikesitheymikey:** Haha yes, Emma is on the pill. ;P I don't think I want to add a pregnancy to the mix, 'cause that'll just make things explode in a bad way. LOL That, and I'm sure most of my readers are expecting that, and I don't typically like to go the obvious route... Although I suppose sometimes I can't help it. :P I really love that idea, but I obviously went for a different approach. *sad face* And LOL! Ironically, I almost wrote "belle" at one point, but it wasn't really conscious. I wouldn't mind it becoming a reality, though... *coughs* As always, thank you so much! Your reviews always give me great food for thought. :)

**MonkeesDoctorWho1987:** I can't say I like the ship, no, especially since a lot of the fangirls have been attacking other ships because they're "not canon." I find that rude and disrespectful, but hey, it comes with the territory. :/ But thank you, I really appreciate that! Hopefully this update answered some questions!

**Lady Elena Belle Petrova:** Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it! Hopefully I didn't keep you guys waiting TOO long. ;P

**E:** Now that you know who took Henry, you're probably thinking it was so obvious. haha And agreed! Belle's dead to me, too. ;P She fell in love with the softer side of Rumpel, not the monstrous/deal-making side, so how could she truly love him for him? I dunno, just a thought... But there have been a few plotholes lately, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of them. x_X Thanks for reading!

**khan81:** Thanks, love! I'm glad you found it believable... I just couldn't help myself. xP

**last to dance:** LMAO! I'm sorry, that made me smile. :P Thanks for reading!

**Fairy Demon26:** Thank you so much, I'm really glad you like it! And I was afraid some people wouldn't get that, but it was actually a joke...sort of. lol As in, Gold told Emma he wrote her as his sister so she wouldn't freak out, but he told the clerk she was his wife. So that's why Emma goes, "Wait a minute, I thought I was-?" and Gold cuts her off. Sorry for the confusion!

**DarkMarked4614:** It would seem we're definitely in the minority, yes, because everywhere I go people have bought into the Rumpel/Belle pairing. It's perfectly fine that people like it, but I could never accept an OTP romance that was so hastily slapped together. If FTL has proven anything, it's that romances can be created in less than 45 minutes. lol And thank you, I really appreciate that! ;)


	9. Out in the Open

**A/N****: **THANK YOU, "HEART OF DARKNESS." Seriously, that episode absolutely _fueled_ my inspiration, and in result I wrote this entire chapter in a day! Happy face! lol I like to call this chapter "word diarrhea," because it's SO obvious I haven't written in a while. It's all wordy and fluffy and...stuff. xD

**CH 9: Out in the Open  
><strong>

After Belle, Gold never thought he'd love again. For the months they'd spent together, he'd let his guard down and allowed her to tear away walls he'd never known existed.

And yet...had she _truly_ loved him, and he her? True love's kiss was supposed to break any spell, and in spite of Belle's efforts, he'd only been half transformed. It was true love's _kiss,_ not true love's _kisses,_ and that's what had made him throw her out. He didn't want a woman to love him out of pity.

And Emma...

Gold smiled.

Emma was different. Emma was _real._ She represented hope instead of despair, and he so desperately yearned to reach out and capture her; mind, body and soul.

"Um, are you going to answer me, or are you just going to keep staring off into space like an idiot?"

Gold's eyes blinked as he stared back at Emma's peevish face, his aura genuinely confused since he hadn't heard her question.

_"Well?"_ she furiously demanded. "I'm still waiting on why you decided to lie to me just now."

Gold's expression was calm as he shook his head. "I wasn't lying, Emma - I swear to you that I meant every word."

"You're not Henry's father," she coolly shot back. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it's _not_ working."

"I can assure you I'm not "pulling" anything. I only want what's in Henry's best interest...and yours," Gold gently assured her. "Why would I lie to you, Emma? This was what I was hoping to tell you on our trip."

She scoffed. "Yeah, how convenient of you to say that. So I suppose next you'll be telling me that we really _are_ in a cursed land?"

Gold pressed his lips together and looked off to the side, refusing to confirm or deny her sarcastic assumption. Her stance was making him nervous, so he held out a hand and urged, "Please sit down, Emma."

"Why?" she fired back, promptly side-stepping him so she was well out of reach. "Better yet, why don't you just leave me the hell alone, huh? I don't _need_ you here, so just...just get _out!"_

Gold's eyes blazed. "It was storming the night Henry was conceived...the night of your senior prom, to be exact."

Appearing as though she'd been burned, Emma's mouth dropped open and she gave him a funny look. "I...what did you say?"

Ignoring her, the pawnbroker calmly sustained, "You were sobbing about some boyfriend or another named Billy - about how you wouldn't put out for him, so he'd taken some other girl to his car as a replacement. You were dangerously intoxicated, so I offered you shelter from the cold in my vehicle."

Emma quivered. "And just how long did it take you to dig up all _that_ about me? Perhaps you grilled a bunch of my old high school friends?"

Gold smiled sadly. "Miss Swan, I have no insiders working for me at this time - everything I know is purely from memory."

"Yeah, but you _did_ have insiders at one point, is that it?"

"I did," he confessed, "but only so I could keep tabs on your whereabouts. When it was revealed you were pregnant, I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure you were taken care of."

Emma smiled, then, and the queerness of the expression immediately put Gold at unease. It wasn't a warm smile - no, far from it - but it was so calm and collected that he knew the facade was belying her true feelings.

And then, just like that, Emma tossed her head back and gave a loud, resounding laugh. "You have _got_ to be shitting me!" she exclaimed, giving another laugh before suddenly turning angry. "Just who the hell do you think you're dealing with, huh? I can _tell_ when people are lying to me, and you're so anxious that you _reek_ of dishonesty!"

"I appear anxious because I am," Gold calmly deflected. With a shrug of the shoulders, he pressed, "Wouldn't _you_ be nervous when facing the mother of your child?"

"Oh, shut up!" Emma snarled. "Just shut the hell up! I'm sick of the bullshit, alright? I am _not_ your past lover, you were _not_ there that night, and you most _certainly_ aren't Henry's father!"

Gold's eyes momentarily fluttered closed and he took a deep, cleansing breath. He had hoped he wouldn't need to bring out the big guns, but Emma had left him with no choice.

Gaze mild and dulcet, he softly announced, "I didn't believe it at first either, Emma, but after acquiring Henry for adoption, I took a paternity test and my suspicions were confirmed."

Emma jolted as if she'd been slapped. "You're lying," she breathlessly accused. "You're a goddamn _liar!"_

"No, my dear," he negated, "I'm afraid _you_ are the dishonest one since you keep lying to yourself. I have the test papers back at my home, if you wish to see them."

"And how do I know they're not fabricated?" Emma shrilled. "How are a bunch of stupid files supposed to change my mind?"

Gold's shoulders lifted in a shrug, but the smile on his face suggested he was pleased with himself. "I suppose you can't know for sure, no, but I could always get Dr. Whale involved in our sordid little affair. He was the one who oversaw the test."

That did it. Emma was at Gold like a shot, and he raised his arms just in time to catch her pummeling fists.

"You bastard!" she shrieked. "You...you sick _fuck!_ What kind of monster takes advantage of a mother with a _missing child?_ Why are you blackmailing me?" By now Emma's screams had turned into soft sobs, and although her fists were still weakly striking at Gold's chest, she allowed him to cradle her against his warmth in defeat.

"Emma," he gently soothed, "I would_ never_ hurt you or Henry, and you have to believe that. I doubt you'll find truth in my words, but I take no pleasure in seeing you like this."

"I need proof," she choked out, squirming in his arms with the hopes of wriggling free. When Gold's grasp failed to loosen, she gave an uncharacteristic whimper and slumped against his shoulder.

It was evident to Gold that Emma was both emotionally and physically drained, so he gave a soft, "I'll take you to my place," and brushed his lips against her blonde hair. The brilliance of her locks made it almost like kissing sunshine, but his heart was far too heavy to dwell on such romantic notions.

Gently easing an arm around the sheriff's waist, Gold steered her listless body toward the door and led her into the hallway. He knew it'd be good for Emma to get out of there - it would be good for the _both_ of them - for as long as neither saw the bloodied piece of cloth, they could hold onto the pipe dream that Henry was still safe, alive, and ready to return to those who loved him.

* * *

><p>The car ride to Gold's was silent, but not uncomfortably so. The pawnbroker relished in how deeply Emma cared for their son, but at the same time his heart bled for her sudden loss of spirit. Without her fire and ambition, she was merely an empty shell with crushed hopes and dreams.<p>

Seeing Emma in this state, all silent and staring out into space, created a frightening urge in Gold to tell her that he loved her.

_Love?_

Gold most certainly had desired, coveted, and lusted for Emma over the years, but he'd successfully managed to keep that four letter word from his vocabulary. Love was painful - love was a _weakness_ - and long, long ago he'd sworn it would never ensnare him again.

But then Henry had gone missing, and Gold had been forced to re-evaluate what truly mattered in his life. And Emma? Emma, as well as their precocious son, had been at the very top of that list...and he hated her for it. _Despised_ her, even, since he was supposed to be an impenetrable force of power. What good was he if a simple touch from Emma could bring those walls tumbling down?

Suddenly sour and irritable, Gold announced their arrival and helped Emma out of the car. Her eyes were still hollow and focused on no particular point of interest, but the minute he took her hand in his to lead her to the front stoop, he felt as though he were on fire. The sheriff (naturally) didn't notice his plight, and his fury only swelled.

How dare she make him feel again? How _dare_ she make love more important than his power? Belle had tried to arouse this in him once as well, but had failed in her efforts. Emma didn't even have to try, and this realization enraged him all the more.

By now Gold's teeth were gritted to the point of pain, and only after he'd shown Emma indoors did she seem to come to her senses.

"Hurry up and show me those papers," she commanded. "Since Henry may be in need of a blood transfusion, I need to know of all viable donors besides myself."

Gold hesitated. He hadn't thought of their son needing medical assistance of that caliber - deep-down he'd assured himself the blood was fake - but Emma's sobering words suddenly made the threat very real.

Nodding, he wordlessly led her to a back office and retrieved a strong box from inside a safe. He had no desire to speak (a rarity all on its own), and he continued his task in silence - although this time the quiet _wasn't_ amiable, for Emma was teeming with impatience.

"Hurry _up!"_ she all but screamed. "My son's life is at stake!"

Not bothering to correct her that he was _their_ son, Gold gave a soft grunt and handed over the requested papers. He could see her gaze hungrily devour the words - not so much in eagerness as in fear - and with each shift of the eyes, he saw them widen in considerable increments.

"No," she whispered, "no, no, no, this isn't right... How _can_ it be right?"

In that moment Emma momentarily lost consciousness, and Gold caught her before she could hit the floor. The contact was undesired by both parties, but Gold somehow managed to move Emma onto his desk without sustaining harm.

Both were breathing heavily - Emma from fatigue and Gold from anxiety - and neither dared to move a muscle.

The sheriff was the first to recover from their stupor, and her eyes slowly, accusingly raised to meet with Gold's. "You let my boy be brought up by a monster."

Gold took the constant usage of "my" instead of "our" as a form of rebellion, and it honestly pierced his heart like a poison-tipped harpoon. "It was for his own safety," he lied, for he knew Emma couldn't yet hear that fairy tales were real.

Emma, unfortunately, easily called his bluff. "Bullshit," she accused. "If you care about him as much as you claim to, why didn't you help him? Why didn't you help_ me?"_

Gold knew she was referring to her pregnancy, but he somehow didn't have the courage to acknowledge this. Instead, he gave a weak "I'm sorry" that immediately fell on deaf ears. Emma was no fool - it was often something he'd prided in about his fiery princess. Belle had been absolutely right about him - he really _was_ a coward. Why couldn't he just tell Emma how he felt and be done with it?

Frowning, he lowly declared, "I never meant to hurt you, Emma... What happened was beyond my control."

The blonde scoffed. "Funny, 'cause last time I checked, _you_ were the one in charge of your own dick. And the fact you took advantage of a drunk girl on prom night? Yeah. Makes you seem like a _real_ class act."

Gold's cheeks burned with a mixture of rage and embarrassment, for he knew she was right. He wanted to defend his honor, but the truth would only raise more questions that couldn't be answered.

Clenching his fists at his sides, Gold sullenly locked his jaw and relented, "You're right... I'm a deplorable person. But then, you didn't need this bit of news to make that assessment, am I right? As I've said once before, I'm a difficult man to love."

"Well maybe you _wouldn't_ be if you stopped being such an asshole," Emma shot back, yet her tone surprisingly wasn't unkind. If anything, she appeared conflicted.

Stunned into silence, Gold abruptly pulled away from her and narrowed his eyes. He wanted to tell her she was wrong - he wanted to tell her he was _beyond_ love and redemption, but instead he gave a derisive snort and turned his back on her.

_You're a coward, Rumpelstiltskin._

Hearing's Belle's voice ring in his ears, Gold's upper lip twitched, and he suddenly had the urge to break something - _anything_ - and just as he turned to tell Emma to leave, a persistent knock came at the front door.

"Wait here," he commanded, his tone gruff.

Emma, however, wasn't in the mood to obey the man she considered a monster. With eyes blazing in defiance, she hopped off his desk and followed after him down the hall. The minute she caught up to him, she realized (in horror and disgust) that Regina and Sidney Glass were on the front porch.

"Ah, you're both here...that's good," Regina greeted, a sugary sweet smile on her lips as she observed their stunned faces. "I don't know how to put this gently, so I'll just go ahead and say it: you're both under arrest for the kidnapping and attempted murder of my son."

"A-attempted _murder?"_ Emma squeaked, now grabbing onto Gold's arm for support. Her head was spinning, and the hand that now rested on the small of her back did little to comfort her.

"This is preposterous," Gold snarled, yet Sidney intervened with handcuffs just as he rushed forward. "On what grounds is this arrest being made?"

Regina's expression was cold, but her eyes were visibly smug. "Henry's currently unconscious, but the room where he was found was _covered_ in both of your fingerprints - I truly hope you both have a good lawyer, 'cause you're going to need it."

Emma said nothing as Sidney cuffed her, for her mind was far too preoccupied with her son. Someone had _attempted_ to take his life?

Quivering, the blonde followed Regina and Sidney as if in a dream, her eyes only rising from the ground when she and Gold were put in the squad car.

Although their wrists were shackled, Gold managed to place a hand over her trembling fingers and give them a squeeze. "Henry's alright, Emma...he's _safe_ now."

"But I can't see him," she mumbled. "It's almost like I'm _deserting_ him, Gold... All my life I've been abandoned by one family after the other, and I don't want to do that to my own son."

Gold's eyes were soft as he promised, "I'll never abandon you, Emma-love."

Looking up at him in disbelief, the blonde was far too stunned to berate him for his comment and visibly flushed. "I, uh...thanks." She knew it was a stupid answer, but it was the only thing she could realistically say.

Gold's fingers gently stroked the back of her hand in response, and she turned and rested her cheek against the glass. She wasn't yet ready to forgive him, but keeping true to her earlier promise in the pawnshop, she was at least _trying_ to tolerate him.

**A/N: **Whoa, fluff... o.o I can't believe I wrote that. :') Originally, this chapter was full of EFF YOUS and GO TA HELLZ, but after "Heart of Darkness," fluff somehow ended up winning. *coughs* Sooo, yeah. They're both screwed. xD

At this time, I'd like to thank my LOVELY reviewers. You're all so amazing, THANK YOU!

**helikesitheymikey:** LOL Yeeah, I think that conversation (about Gold to Henry) will definitely need to be fortified with alcohol on Emma's part. :') And since she won't be pregnant in my story (I figured that'd be too predictable), she can drink as she as she wants. lol And wow, I totally didn't mean to make an August x Regina undertones, but I'm not adverse to the idea...I'll think about whether or not that could be beneficial further down the line. And hopefully this was a fast enough update...took me 8 days after your review! xP

**ShiftingWinds125:** Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! And yeah, I guess he wasn't too swift to get caught like that. :P Thanks for the suggestion!

**Gwen:** Thank you! Sorry for updating like...2 or 3 weeks later, LoL.

**Hippiechic1967:** Thank you! Sorry for the cruel cliffhanger, especially since it takes me a forever and a year to update lately. :P Hopefully this was worth the wait!

**E:** "Interesting" is definitely one way to describe it, haha. ;P Well yay, glad I made it a surprise, because I always worry about being too predictable. And really? Aww, thank you so much, that really means a lot! I love "Mistletoe," as well. :)

**DarkFairy207:** LMAO! XD Sorry I made you yell an expletive, haha, but I don't blame you. Regina's...grr. That pretty much sums it up. :P And that's a good point. I'm surprised Gold doesn't abuse that power, considering how he can make Regina do whatever she wants... That's why I'm hoping he'll use it for Belle instead of THAT being his favor for Emma. That'd be such a disappointment. :(

**Marcie Gore:** LoL Well actually, it _was_ Regina. :) As in, it was her idea, so she blackmailed poor August into doing her bidding. He kidnapped Henry with the hopes of sending a message to Regina, but that sadly backfired. Thanks for reading!

**MonkeesDoctorWho1987:** Thank you so much! Yeeeah, Gold tried to be smooth, but it half-worked and half blew up in his face. :') lol And sadly yes, bashing comes with the territory in fandoms. :(

**Emerald Imagination:** Oh, I agree. I didn't hate Belle by seeing the episode (even though she _definitely_ wasn't _"my"_ Belle), but fangirls can easily make me pin the blame on a character opposed to their immaturity, so I DO kind of hate her now. It's sad, really. :/

Ooh, you watch "Smash," too? :P I loove the music...but then, I'm a musical theatre lover, so that's no true surprise. lol And thank you, glad you liked it! I...guess this wasn't a very fast update, but...I tried? XD

**khan81:** LOL! About daggone time, eh? ;P And hahaha, no argument from me on that point! Regina makes me want to strangle puppies sometimes... x_X Which I'd never do, but still. lol My original interpretation (in my mind) was a lot more violent, but I actually had fluff win out in the end...my shipper heart should be ashamed of itself. :')

**Dr. Temperance Brennan:** LOL Yeeeah, that wasn't too slick on his part, but he's not exactly the most rash person in the world. :P And August isn't a bad guy in this, per se - he was just coerced once Regina figured out what was going on. I'll try and explain all that better later on. :) And thank you so much!

**Musicalfan2012:** Haha, same here...if there was no Gold, there wouldn't be a show for me. ;) And thank you very much!

**BundyShoes:** Haha, it's ok! :P There's no law that you have to review every story you read..._yet._ ;P And thank you so much! That scene took FOREVER to write, rawr. :S And this one took even longer...I think. lol

**Lady Elena Bella Petrova:** Thank you very much, I really appreciate that!

**randres89:** Haha, I hate them too, yet somehow I love writing them...does that make me evil? xP Sorry if this took too long!

**Ravenclaw992:** LOL! I'm pretty sure Emma's mouth dropped open, too. ;P And it's funny, 'cause I like Gold x everyone, too...but I just can't like him with Belle for some reason. I'm so weird. :'P But thank you, I appreciate that!

**PrettyChelsea:** Haha, yeah, it's about darn time. :P I was seriously wondering when he'd get to blab it myself... Which just proves I write this on the fly. But that's ok, cuz I think the writers on OUAT do that too, LOL. And you'll probably think Regina's a psycho even _more_ now, haha. But thanks, I really appreciate that!

**SaruwatariAsuka: **Haha, yep! I picture her looking like this for the news: x_O LOL And thank you, that really means a lot!

**Mizcamaro:** LMFAO! That review had me laughing, lololol. Thanks so much for reading, and I'm glad this story is persuading you to like "Gemma goodness." :P I'm drawn to their sexual tension, so that's why they're my favorite at the moment. Red x Gold isn't too bad, though...if they had more scenes. :X

**Southernkeltic:** LOL Yeah, Regina's not exactly on the top of the "sane" list. :P Thank you so much!

**JordanGoombette:** Thank you! Hopefully it was worth the wait! :)

**scabiorsnatcher:** LOL Yeah, I was a little reluctant to do that since I've seen the photos bit, too, but I had too many one-uppers I wanted to use to abandon the idea. :') Well...that, and I didn't know what else to write. -.- lol Thank ya, thank ya, thank ya! :D


	10. Unexpected Empathy

**A/N****: **Dear Lord, it's been SO long since I've been able to update on a Sunday, but hey! Here I am! Better late than never, neh? :P From what I've seen in the sneak peeks, we get a pretty epic Gold vs Emma scene tonight, so I can't wait! Aaaand, as you can see, I wrote this BEFORE seeing "The Return," so if August is Gold's son? I say whatever, 'cause he's not in my story. :P

In other news, I've started another Golden Swan story called "Reflective Opposites" (co-written with RumpelGold), and we'd love it if you could check it out when you have the chance. :) Hope you enjoy!

**CH 10: Unexpected Empathy  
><strong>

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

"Dammit, I forgot to call a repairman to fix that pipe," Emma grumbled, leaning her head back against the bars while sighing deeply. Gold was in the cell directly beside hers, and although they were sitting back-to-back, he failed to comment on the poor plumbing. If anything, he seemed too deep in thought.

Deciding to get his attention, Emma provoked, "I want to see Henry...it's unfair that Regina's keeping us here while he's in the hospital."

There came a pause, then Gold lowly assured her, "Don't worry, Emma-love, she'll let us see him."

"Yeah? Well I wish I could have your confidence," the sheriff grumbled. But somehow? Judging by his assertive tone, she believed him one-hundred percent.

At that moment, the office door opened, and in stepped none other than Regina Mills. She appeared smug and cheerful, and as she sauntered up to the bars, Emma was the only one who turned her head to look at her.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" she asked, beaming as she peered in at her captives. When both failed to answer, she shrugged it off and returned, "No matter, I didn't come here for small talk. I merely wanted to let you know that Henry's still unconscious, but his vitals are stable."

"You mean you wanted to stop by and rub it in?" Emma bitterly asked. "Unless you came to say I can see my son, I really wish you'd just leave."

Gold finally appeared alert, his body turning toward the mayor as he announced, "Fortunately, my dear Emma, I believe that's _exactly_ why she came."

Regina's upper lip curled into a sneer. "What are you getting at, Gold?"

"Why nothing, Madame Mayor. I merely wanted to ask if we could please stop by the hospital and visit Henry?" Gold's eyes were dark and complacent as he awaited her response, the tension throbbing between them to the point Emma thought Regina might begin a shouting match.

To her surprise, the mayor's bottom lip twitched in disdain, then she nodded and curtly agreed, "Very well, but make it quick."

Gold smiled. "I suppose that's feasible, but what about transportation? We can't very well _walk_ to the hospital, so I'm going to need the keys to your car, please."

Regina's eyes bugged, but her hand reached into her pocketbook before she thrust her keys toward a very pleased Gold. Once he'd taken them, the mayor begrudgingly unlocked both cell doors, and then stepped back with the deepest scowl Emma had ever had the displeasure of viewing.

"Get out," she commanded, her tone ice-cold. "Get out _now_ before I change my mind."

"As if you could," Gold wryly shot back. Ignoring the outrage on Regina's face, he held his arm out for Emma to accept and led the bewildered blonde to the exit.

Once they were alone and standing beside Regina's car, Emma turned to him and hissed, "How the heck did you do that? Seriously, I've never seen Regina that angry before, but she _still_ let us leave!"

Gold gave her a knowing smirk. "Let's just say that Regina owes me _far_ more favors than anyone else in Storybrooke."

"God, why does that not surprise me? You people in this town are _so_ corrupt," Emma muttered. Now sliding into the passenger side of the car, she shut the door and watched Gold fiddle with the keys. He had a strained look on his face, and it instantly made her frown. A man of Gold's power shouldn't look that tired and vulnerable, and most _especially_ not after handing Regina her own ass. It unnerved Emma to see him this way.

Pointing toward the street, she asked, "So are you gonna put it in gear, or what?"

"Hm? Ah yes, yes, sorry...I'm afraid I was a bit distracted."

Eyes softening, Emma miserably confessed, "Well, it looks like we both have something in common, then...just try to hurry, ok?"

Gold gave her a weary smile. "Of course, Miss Swan."

* * *

><p>The children's wing of the hospital was cold and sterile, and Emma instantly cringed. Where were all the colors? Where were the hope-instilling murals?<p>

Frown only deepening, Emma clip-clopped alongside Gold and noticed that he appeared equally displeased.

Catching her gaze, he irritably explained, "I abhor hospitals."

"Yeah, well who doesn't? I don't think you'll get any advocates for the opposite," Emma muttered. Now following him toward the designated room, a lump formed in her throat and she bit her lip so hard that it bled.

Sensing her trepidation, Gold placed a hand on the small of her back and offered, "I'll go in first, if you'd like."

Nodding wordlessly, Emma bowed her head and waited as Gold made his way into the room. When no cry or gasp of alarm came, she gingerly stepped forward and peered toward her son. Tears blurring her vision, Emma's bottom lip quivered and she choked when she saw several long, medicinal tubes snaking out of Henry's arms and pumping him full of antibiotics. His skin was pale and sallow, and aside from a few cuts and bruises, he appeared perfectly healthy.

"Oh, God..." Placing a hand over her mouth, Emma cursed how weak she must look and rushed to her son's side. Brushing back his dark hair, the tears fell freely now and she tried to ignore Gold as he slowly approached her.

"Emma," he softly beseeched, his hand now resting on her shoulder, "Emma, I know you may find this difficult to believe, but seeing Henry like this hurts me, as well. You should never be ashamed of loving someone enough to lose your head, so please...stop trying to hide how deeply you're grieving."

Emma scoffed and shook herself free of his grasp. "Well what about _you,_ huh? Maybe you should start following your own advice!"

"I...I beg your pardon?"

Taking a sick pleasure in Gold's bewilderment, Emma jabbed a finger against his chest and shouted, "You said _you_ have a son, too, yet you wouldn't even tell me his name! If you love him as much as you claim, you wouldn't be ashamed of grieving out in the open!"

Gold's face was aghast, his bottom lip quivering as he tried to form a coherent string of words. Goddamn that confounded woman!

"E..._Emma?"_

Stunned back to reality, the pawnbroker lowered his gaze and realized their son was awake.

Promptly ignoring Gold, Emma gave a tearful laugh and touched Henry's face. "Henry! Oh my God, you're ok...are you feeling alright?"

Groggy, the boy tried to sit up, but the sheriff immediately stopped his movements. Eyes widening when he realized who _else_ was in the room, he uneasily asked, "Emma, um...why is _he_ here?"

Taking this as an invitation to speak, Gold stepped forward and warmly assured him, "You had us all worried, Henry - I merely wanted to stop by and see how you were doing."

"Oh...well thanks." Clearly unconvinced, Henry laid back down and pulled the covers up to his chin.

Sensing the boy wished for further clarification, Gold tried a new tactic - one he _knew_ would work - and earnestly began, "Henry, can you recall what happened to you?"

Brows furrowed, the boy fearfully shook his head. "No, I...I can't remember anything."

"And why do you think that is?"

"Well, uh..."

"Perhaps it's because of the Evil Queen?" Smiling when Henry instantly became alert, Gold ignored Emma's warning look and took this opportunity to move closer to his son. "We all know she's enslaved Storybrooke with memory loss, so who's to say she wouldn't use this tactic on her own son?"

Henry's eyes were wide. "So then...you believe me? How come?" In all honesty, he never even knew Gold was aware of his theories, but since he and Emma had come to the hospital together, Henry surmised that Emma had decided to tell the pawnbroker the truth.

Watching the emotions war across his son's face, Gold smiled and returned, "Well what if I told you I remembered? That I know who I truly am?"

Emma's jaw reflexively clenched. At first she'd thought it was nice of Gold to humor the child, but now she felt he might be eradicating Dr. Hopper's hard work. Henry was an impressionable boy, so why build his hopes so high that he'd come crashing back to reality?

Moving to intervene, Emma opened her mouth to speak, then instantly closed it when Gold began fishing for something in his pocket.

"Are you getting proof?" Henry eagerly asked.

Gold smiled. "Not exactly, no... I figured you would be in need of some protection. If you keep this on your person at all times, you will be safe from the Evil Queen's advances." Holding out a gold amulet laced with jade, he watched on as Henry clasped the necklace between his hands and gawked.

"Wow, so you can perform magic in this world, too?"

Gold chuckled. "No, not quite... This is just an item I procured in my shop over the years."

"Did you make it in Fairy Tale Land?"

"Perhaps..."

Deciding to join in on the conversation, Emma sent Gold a disbelieving look and wryly asked, "So who _are_ you then, huh? King Midas?"

He grinned. "Why no, of course not - that'd be far too easy, my dear. I was an imp who enjoyed making deals."

Henry shot up in bed like a rocket. "Your name is Rumpelstiltskin...of _course!_ I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner! That also explains why you went after Ashley's baby."

Emma quirked a brow. "Oh yeah, makes _perfect_ sense - that's why he's such a creepy jerk in Storybrooke, right?" Sending Gold a simpering smile, she sat in the chair beside him and crossed her legs.

When the pawnbroker met with her gaze, he smirked and fired back, "Once the curse is broken, I'll have to repay you by turning you into a toad, Miss Swan."

"Not if I turn _you_ into one, first. Henry says I'm the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, so that's gotta get me some type of special treatment, right?"

Henry sighed. "Could you two _please_ stop flirting and get back to what's important? We could all be in danger!"

Both Gold and Emma blanched, their expressions incredulous due to their son's assumption.

"I-I wasn't...I-I mean, we weren't..." Trailing off, Emma grumbled to herself and waved her hand. "Right, of course, back to what's "important." If it makes you feel any better, I think you're safe now since you're under the care of doctors and nurses...nobody can hurt you without being recorded by the surveillance cameras."

Henry frowned. "Well yeah, but what about you and Mr. Rumpelstiltskin? The Evil Queen's gotta know you're a threat, 'cause otherwise she wouldn't have told me you were my kidnappers."

"That witch told you that?" Emma seethed, suddenly seeing red. "Henry, I would _never-"_

"I know," he softly assured her. "Trust me, I didn't believe a word she said."

Although this was comforting, it did little to assuage either parent's fears. If Regina had done this much damage already, there was no telling what else she had up her sleeve.

Reaching into his breast pocket, Gold retrieved an ace in the hole and handed it to the boy. "Here you are, Henry - give this to your mother when she comes to visit. I'm afraid Emma and I have to return to the station now, but I promise we'll be back to see you before long."

Henry eyed the note and frowned. "What is it?"

"Don't worry, it's not sealed," Gold assured him. "If you wish, you may read it after Emma and I leave, but not a moment sooner."

Curious, Emma sent the pawnbroker a questioning look, then went over and embraced her son. After all goodbyes were said and over with, Henry watched his parents leave before pulling out the letter. Unfolding it with careful hands, he smiled broadly once he read:

_Your Highness:_

_Emma and I are tiring of prison life, so if you could please release us the minute you get this note, that would be positively divine. Also, it may be in your best interest to choose a new lapdog for your endeavors. Sidney is getting a little too predictable, and I _do_ so love surprises._

_Devotedly Yours,  
><em>

_Rumpelstiltskin  
><em>

* * *

><p>After Gold and Emma had been returned to their cells, Sidney announced he had other duties to attend to and left them alone. All was quiet (save for the occasional drip from the leaky pipe), and Gold decided to be the first to break the unbearable silence.<p>

"I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries today, Miss Swan... I suppose it was inappropriate to give Henry that gift."

Emma smiled slightly, her back pressing against the bars as she shook her head. "No, uh...I actually thought it was really nice. Even if he can't understand why you did it, I'm sure it's comforting for him to know there's someone else on his side."

Gold cleared his throat. "Yes, well...I actually lied about the origin of the amulet. It belonged to my first son."

Eyes widening, Emma kept her gaze straight ahead and subconsciously clenched her fists. She'd be lying if she said she weren't interested, but it made her feel guilty to know she kept leading him back to his past. After a moment's pause, she softly pressed, "So why did you give it to Henry? I-I mean, isn't it worth a lot to you? He could accidentally break it."

"It does," Gold agreed, "but it means _far_ more to have a second chance at fatherhood than keeping an old, worn piece of jewelry locked away collecting dust. I already lost one son, Emma...I won't lose another."

A lump forming in her throat, Emma bowed her head and nodded. "It must've been tough... I seriously can't imagine losing Henry now that I've found him, especially since I love him so much it hurts. And oddly enough? He's the first male I've ever felt this way about."

Gold smiled. "Parenthood changes people, Emma. It makes what used to be trivial seem monumental, and when you share a special bond with that child? Well..." He paused, eyes darkening in thought. "...Let's just say that it's a feeling unlike any other."

Emma nodded, somehow sensing Gold's back pressing against hers through the bars. There was a heavy silence that followed, and she instantly wished she had something - _anything_ - to contribute to the conversation other than her discomfort. Why did this man always manage to leave her speechless?

After a moment's pause, Gold turned his head slightly and murmured, "You once asked me what my son's name was...you also accused me of being a coward when it came to him, and you're right. I _am_ a coward."

Emma winced. "Gold, you don't have to tell me anything - you owe me nothing of that caliber, as far as I'm concerned."

"No, I need to tell you," he insisted. "After seeing Henry lying there like a broken doll, I knew I had to stop running from what frightens me. If I don't, I may end up losing what matters most."

"Gold, _please..."_ In all honesty, his conscientious purging was starting to make Emma uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the truth anymore.

Although miserable in appearance, Gold was smiling as he leaned his head against the bars. Moistening his lips, he closed his eyes while whispering, "I never wanted to think of my first son after he was killed, but now, I...I need to start celebrating the boy he was. His name was Benjamin."

Emma jerked around in astonishment, her eyes wide as she stared at the back of Gold's head. _"Killed?_ B-but you said...I-I mean, I thought your wife took him with her when she left?"

"No...that was the first excuse that came to mind," Gold confessed, his head bent as he rubbed his face. "What really happened was Benjamin agreed to help with my shop one evening, and believe it or not, someone had the audacity to rob me."

Emma instantly felt sick to her stomach. Folding her hands in her lap, she turned her body so that she could face Gold more fully. Even though he still had his back to her, she somehow felt that she owed it to him to be attentive.

Gold, however, was unnerved by the way the sheriff was behaving. Normally she snubbed him to some degree - acted completely disdainful, even - but now? She was treating him like a man to be pitied, and if there was one thing he despised, it was unmerited compassion.

Irritably rolling his shoulders forward, Gold rubbed at his upper lip and lowly sustained, "Brave boy that he was, Benjamin tried to stop the robber... He was shot and killed right on the spot."

Emma cringed and closed her eyes. A part of her had been expecting a resolution like this, absolutely, but it was still far too horrible for her to comprehend. "I'm so sorry," she finally whispered, shaking her head as she lowered her gaze. Catching sight of his hand gripping the cell bench, Emma slowly, hesitantly reached through the bars and touched his fingers. Gold's grip loosened in surprise, and the sheriff took this opportunity to interlock her hand with his.

Gold stared down at their entwined fingers with a mixture of shock and revulsion, for he knew what was happening. Emma was only being nice because she felt sorry for him, not because she actually liked him as a person. It was a dream of his that she would one day show him affection, but he didn't want it now - not like this.

Carefully removing his hand from her grasp, Gold smoothed the front of his blazer and sighed deeply through his nostrils. The fact that he'd lied to Emma again bothered him, but he couldn't tell her the Fairy Tale Land version (not yet, anyway). It had been cruel of Regina to implant in him fake, equally painful memories of his son being shot and killed, but he remembered enough of his prior existence to tell the difference.

_"Gold!"_

Ah, speak of the devil...

Emma jerked away from the pawnbroker in surprise, now rising to her feet as Regina stormed toward them with a note.

"You tricked me, you bastard!" she hissed, eyes wild as she jabbed a finger through the bars toward his silent, indifferent form. "I can't _believe_ you decided to do this now!"

"Whoa, wait...what's going on?" Emma demanded.

Rounding on her in an instant, Regina seethed, "What's "going on," Sheriff Swan, is that I'm releasing you both despite my better judgment."

Emma balked. "Wait, _what?"_

"Just pipe down and back away," the mayor growled, still muttering under her breath as she unlocked both cells. Once the doors swung open, she pointed toward the exit and haughtily commanded that they leave.

Emma looked to Gold for answers, but he kept his gaze on his shoes as he brushed past her and headed for the door. Shrugging it off, Emma jammed her hands into her pockets and followed after him. "Hey, wait up, would you?" When Gold ignored her, Emma scowled and picked up the pace. Despite his cane, he moved surprisingly fast when he wanted to.

"Hey," she tried yet again, her hand reaching out and encircling his elbow. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," he assured her, his tone crisp as he removed her hand from his arm. "I hope you'll forgive me, Sheriff, but I've got a long day ahead of me and need to take off."

Emma stopped and stared at him in bewilderment. "Now hold on just a minute...what's gotten into you? I don't get why you're so angry with me all of a sudden..."

Eyes narrowed, Gold snapped back, "I'm angry because I don't want your pity, Miss Swan - you're only doing this to ease your guilty conscience."

Emma scoffed. "What, so I can't do something out of the goodness of my heart?"

"Not when I'm involved, you can't," he muttered, expression pained as he limped past her toward the exit.

Stunned into silence by his declaration, Emma watched him leave as she realized, to her utmost chagrin, that he was absolutely right. She _had_ felt bad about Gold's son, and she _did_ pity him... Why couldn't she have shown him this kindness all along?

"I'm such a hypocrite," she muttered, hating herself as she raked a hand through her hair. Although Gold had done unspeakable things to her, she found she couldn't quite blame him as deeply as she had before. After all, what if grief had driven him to impregnate her opposed to malicious intent? Perhaps he'd just been lonely... Emma could relate to that most of all.

Turning to make her leave, the last thing the sheriff saw was Regina coming her way, a dark, and proud little smile staining her lips like blood.

**A/N: **Yay, only a couple more chapters! With that said, the next one will be one of those, "You're kidding me, right? Are you really that evil?" installments, so I hope you'll like it regardless. xP

At this time, I'd like to thank my LOVELY reviewers. You're all so amazing, so THANK YOU!

**Fallenhope19:** All updated and ready to go, and I have a feeling the next chapter will come MUCH faster for me. :) Thanks for reading!

**Failisse:** Aww, well thank you, I'm so glad you think so! Plot twists are often more difficult than banter (for me, anyway), but I guess that's because I feel every idea's already been done. As for Rumpel being sleazy, I amazingly didn't ever think of him that way, haha. But you're completely right. Although Gold's kind of weasel-y in his own way, he's far less off-putting than his FTL counterpart. I can promise your answer for that will be answered soon. ;) Thanks for reading!

**Detafo:** Wow, like oxygen? :O haha Thank you! Hopefully this update was a disappointment! And Regina? Oh, yeah. No question about it. ;P haha

**Darkfairy207:** Thank you! I hope this update was worth the wait, 'cause Lord knows I really drew it out! lol At first I was mad since I wanted to see 1x19 before writing this/I thought I'd finish long before that, but...guess not. haha It IS the night 1x19 airs, so I suppose I could've waited anyway. :P

**Emma Swan:** Wow, thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you enjoy my characterizations, because I always enjoy yours. :) Thanks so much for reading!

**E: **Oh, no! haha Happy belated birthday! :P And I KNOW. But fortunately our Gold/Rumpel-centric episode's tonight! *flails* I can't wait! And heck, you're not alone...I think just about EVERYONE loves Gold the most. ;P

**ParanormalMoonlight:** Thank you, hope you enjoyed!

**ShiftingWinds125:** LMAO! You can't hit her without me hitting her first! :P It helps that I don't like Regina on the show, 'cause that allows me to make her as evil as possible without feeling any regrets. Hm, perhaps I make her a tad TOO evil... lol Thanks for reading!

**Dr. Temperance Brennan:** Haha, that's very true... I suppose I just meant that for Gold and Emma it's fluffy. :P Of course, we've seen that both characters have a soft/gooey side, so I suppose this sort of thing could happen for either of them on the show. And thank you! I just hope I can pull it all off, 'cause I've got quite a few threads that need to be tied...

**saku-lee:** Haha aww, I'm sorry... Now I feel EXTRA evil since it took me so darn long to update! lol Thanks for reading!

**hannahcaiusvolturi:** Thank you so much! Wow, really? Yay, another person who feels the way I do about Belle! haha I mean, I genuinely, absolutely ADORE the animated version, but Emilie's Belle seemed almost selfish... There was just something about her I didn't like too much. But no, this plot's complicated enough as it is, so no Belle, sorry. :P But I AM writing another fic with Belle involved in their relationship, if you're interested.

**jcag75:** Ah yes, fluff sometimes is the best of all options. Doesn't usually win out that way for me, though. :P haha And LOL! I almost found it odd/weird when Rumpel said "hell," because he never cursed before Skin Deep. I can't recall if Gold's cursed (maybe he said "damn" a couple time?), but it almost seems uncouth/weird for him. Sooo, I tend to avoid it. xP LMAOOO I always wondered about that... I mean, everyone's afraid of Gold, and they never thought, "Hmm, that guy just bought some rope and duct tape... Nah, that's totally normal for Valentine's Day!" haha I love the ship, too. Never a dull moment with their banter. :P

**Rylee87:** Sorry for the slooow update! lol And nope, they can't stay in jail for long. ;) That'd be boring! lol

**Emerald Imagination:** LMAO! Amazingly, I didn't even think of having them going at it, and that's usually top on my list of priorities with this ship. hahaha And wow, really? Thank you so much, that's such an honor!

**Hippiechic1967:** Oh wow, thank you, I'm so glad it was worth it! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait too, haha, 'cause heaven knows I was pushing it this time around.

**randres89:** LMAO! You don't get to rip Regina a new one without me! :P Thanks for reading!

**Socrpen:** Aww, well thank you so much, I really appreciate that! And I know, the next episode (aka tonight's) looks like it's going to be epic! I can't wait!

**DamnationoftheDead:** Oh Lord, you went without Internet for THAT LONG? I remember back in college my laptop broke, and I seriously went insane... I didn't have my computer for two whole days! You never realize how much you use it til it's broken. lol And no, don't worry, I meant she wouldn't physically be in this story. I figured it'd be good insight to have Gold compare/contrast Belle with Emma. ;)

**phantomess300:** Aww, well thank you! And don't worry, Henry's going to be fine! Or at least, you've seen that by now. ;P

**yuiop:** Thank you!

**Marcie Gore:** Haha, "witch" is WAY too nice of a word for Regina. :P But I agree, that woman shouldn't be allowed to adopt a child! lol Thanks so much for reading!

**MonkeesDoctorWho1987:** Aww, well thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Emma and Gold feed my inspiration on their own, I swear... Without them this fic would be deeead. Well...obviously. haha :P

**Destiny001:** Aww, well thank you so very much! I'm glad you think everyone's in character/it's a unique take on the pairing. :) It's hard to do that nowadays. Thanks for reading!

**Funky Giraffe:** Of course they will. ;P haha And aww, that's so sweet, thank you!

**Ravenclaw992:** LOL! No cell sharing, sadly, but maybe in another life. ;D And thank you! These past chapters have been murder to write, grr...


	11. A Necessary Sacrifice

**A/N****: **Hawt dawg, after 1x19 aired, I was inspired out the yin-yang (I could've said ass, but that would've been gross xD)! I wrote 2 scenes in 2 days, which is a record for me. Unfortunately, I didn't make my Sunday goal, but hey, I was close!

**CH 11: A Necessary Sacrifice  
><strong>

The bell to Granny's Diner tinkled overhead, and Emma entered while rubbing her hands. "Good grief, it's _so_ cold out there," she muttered. Shaking her hair to loosen the rain from her flaxen locks, she met Ruby's friendly grin with a smile of her own before spotting...well...something completely unexpected.

There, sitting at the counter was Gold, his shoulders hunched forward as he continued to nurse what appeared to be scotch. In all the months Emma had resided in Storybrooke, she'd never, _ever_ seen the pawnbroker venture into the diner. It seemed far too public for a man of his inherent seclusion, so to see him making such an open spectacle of himself was rather surprising.

Now pointing to Gold, Emma called over to Ruby, "I'll have what he's having, ok?"

The waitress gave a chipper nod, then bustled off to fetch the drink. Good God, how could she always be so damn _happy?_ She was certainly in the wrong town with an attitude like that...

Shaking this thought from her mind, Emma shrugged it off and approached Gold with subtle determination. When she set her coat onto the bar beside him, he didn't even flinch.

"Chasing the blues away by yourself, Gold? For everyone's sake, I sure hope you didn't drive..."

Gold finally turned to regard her, his eyes blinking once before he lowly returned, "And for everyone's sake, I certainly hope _you_ won't be joining me. An inebriated sheriff doesn't do the world much good."

"Neither does an inebriated pawnbroker," she fired back. Now sitting down alongside him, her voice dropped a few octaves as she ventured, "I really hope you're not doing this because of our talk... I told you you didn't have to tell me anything, but you did anyway."

"Yes, yes, I am perfectly aware..." Trailing off, he added, "But you are never at fault, am I right? The great Sheriff Swan is completely incapable of causing civilian unrest."

Emma gave him a pained look. "Hey, I'm really sorry, alright? I never meant to hurt you... When you told me about Benjamin, I guess my emotions just got the better of me."

"Do _not_ speak his name to me again," Gold growled. His gaze was dark and clouded, and even though his murderous expression was directed toward the scotch in his hand, Emma could feel the brunt of his pain burning into her like a branding iron.

Eyes softening, Emma moved to apologize yet again, but that's when Ruby placed the ordered drink directly in front of her. Glancing down at the liquid poison, she thanked the waitress before taking it in her grasp. Why the hell was she drinking, anyway? When dealing with Gold, a clear mind was _always_ necessary.

"If you're finished groveling, I would appreciate it if you'd leave - I'd like to be alone now, in case you haven't yet figured that out."

Startled by being addressed, Emma turned to Gold and scowled. "Like hell, I will! If you get any more sloshed, I'll drag your sorry ass back to the station, and then you'll _have_ to talk to me!"

Gold actually chuckled at that. "Ah, such determination...that's one of the many things I like about you, Miss Swan. You never give up, even when the odds are clearly stacked against your favor."

Calming down a bit, Emma finally took a sip of her scotch and winced. The delightful burn trickled down her throat and pooled into her stomach, her eyes closing as she took a deep breath. "Yeah, well...let's just say I've been shot down enough times to know the value of victory. Just like parenthood, that sort of thing changes you whether you like it or not."

Gold frowned. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Emma."

She quirked a brow, now turning to appraise him curiously. "Um, you couldn't have been there for me when I was growing up, so why are you apologizing? If you're referring to my pregnancy, just...just forget it, ok? You can't change the past."

_'But oh, how I wish I could,'_ Gold miserably thought. In all his life he'd suffered so many failures, so to think that procuring Emma's love could possibly be another was far too much to bear. Yes, she was interested in him now, but it still wasn't the type of interest he desired.

"Ugh, pompous bitch at 2:00."

Following Emma's gaze, Gold instinctively bristled when Regina entered the diner. The moment she spotted them, she smiled and coyly greeted, "Having a drink without me? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were starting to enjoy each other's company."

"Well yes, for as far as company goes, I would much rather be with Emma," Gold agreed. "Your demeanor is far too much like a rattlesnake, my dear, and your jealousy becomes you even less."

Emma snickered, then clapped a hand over her mouth when Regina glared at her.

"Oh, you find that funny, do you? Well perhaps you'll find this even _more_ amusing." Handing the bemused blonde a document, Regina smirked as Emma's eyes widened with outrage.

"What the hell, did you actually get me a _restraining order?"_

"Why yes, I did," the mayor crisply acknowledged. "Since you refuse to mind your boundaries with my son, I've decided to mind them for you."

Gold watched on as Emma went from shocked to livid, yet this time around he decided not to get involved. Regina's actions proved he needed to take care of her once and for all, and with Emma's help, he would finally put an end to her tyranny.

Before another word could be said (or rather, _shrieked),_ Granny marched over and ordered they leave since they were upsetting her customers.

"Don't worry, I was just going," Regina coolly assured her, yet she was smiling. Sending Emma one last smug look, she turned on her heel and sauntered toward the exit.

"What a _bitch,"_ Emma seethed, grumbling to herself as she sat back down with Gold. "And you," she began, now turning to the man, "how could you just sit back and let her do that to me? This arrangement effects you too, you know!"

"It does," Gold agreed, "which is why I propose we go to your place and start planning a new tactic."

Emma bit her lip. He was right, of course, and when she remembered that Mary Margaret would be out all day (and possibly all night) running errands, she cautiously agreed.

When they got up and headed for the exit, Gold was finally smiling again.

* * *

><p>"Would you like anything to drink?"<p>

Gold stared at Emma as she attempted to play hostess, a wry smile crossing his lips as he announced, "Really now, Emma, we've just left the diner, yet you're proposing we have _another_ drink? I'm afraid my body isn't what it used to be, so at this point I'd never leave the lavatory."

Emma tried not to smile, but was failing miserably. "Oh...right. Sorry. Something to eat, then? I'm only asking since I feel like hurting something, and I figured better some sort of food than you."

Gold pretended to be touched. "I'm quite flattered that I mean more to you than a banana, Miss Swan."

"Actually, I was going to have a bagel with cream cheese, but who's counting?"

Now leading Gold toward the table and chairs by the kitchen, she pulled out a seat and then motioned to the one across from her. "I'm hoping you've got a whole mountain of ideas, 'cause I'm afraid I'm fresh out. It's _always_ back to the drawing board when it comes to that stupid bitch."

Gold smiled and sat down. "Did you ever think she might have the place bugged, my dear?"

"No, but I hope that STUPID BITCH does!" Emma shot back, making sure to raise her voice for all the apartment to hear.

When she'd calmed down, the pawnbroker twisted the ring on his finger and announced, "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, Emma-love, but all I plan on doing is going to the judge and getting his motion overturned. I've been known to be quite the lawyer in my day."

"A lawyer? Wow, no wonder I don't like you," she teased. After a moment's pause, she finally relented, "Alright, that actually sounds like a pretty good plan... I don't see why we needed to leave the diner to make it, though."

Gold smiled. "Better safe than sorry, yes?" In truth, he'd needed to get her alone to at least _try_ and make her accept fairy tales. But to do that, he decided, he needed to make her warm up to him first. "I think I'll take that drink now, Sheriff."

Emma appeared surprised, yet she smirked and rose from her perch. "Alright," she agreed, "but if your body "betrays you" like you mentioned, you have no one to blame but yourself. Hope you like bourbon, 'cause at the moment that's all I've got."

Gold quirked a brow. "That's a rather strong drink to keep around Miss Blanchard..."

"Oh don't worry, she's too much of a lightweight to even touch the stuff." Now grabbing a couple glasses and her personal stash, she returned to the table and poured them both a generous amount. "Figured we deserve this," she explained, now raising her glass in a mock salute and downing half of it.

Gold merely gave his glass an experimental poke, then smiled as Emma had a seat. "I'm glad you decided to sit down Sheriff, for if you keep drinking like that, you'll be under the table in no time."

"Fuck you."

"Well! I see being a public official hasn't bestowed you with any manners."

Emma giggled, her eyes bright as they crinkled with mirth. "Well who said I'm a nice person, hmm? The people who've seen my so-called "manners" are all part of a very small, exclusive club."

"Ah yes, forgive me - you're a horrible human being."

"Hey!" She laughed. "I'm not _that_ bad!"

"No, of course you're not - I think you're a good person," Gold earnestly returned. His expression was so sincere that Emma immediately stopped smiling, her cheeks flaming crimson as she sheepishly ducked her head. What was he getting at, anyway? Did he honestly think sucking up would earn him brownie points?

When the sheriff chose not to comment, Gold shifted in his chair and urged, "Tear down your walls, Emma-love. You were meant for far greater than what Storybrooke has given you."

Emma felt her heart lurch. "Oh yeah, _great_ advice," she bitterly choked out. "The last time I "tore down my walls," I ended up losing someone I very well could've loved. So yeah, thanks, but no thanks."

Feeling tears burning along her lashes, Emma rested her head in her hands and quivered. She'd officially gone from "fun drunk" to "depressed drunk," and it wasn't sitting with her so well.

"Emma, don't close yourself off..."

"Well why the hell _not?_ You close yourself off all the time!" she feverishly snapped, now raising her gaze to glower at Gold.

He smiled sadly. "Yes, I did, and I regret it with each day I live. Please," he urged, now reaching out and touching her hand, "you still have time to make things right... For all of us."

His last comment made Emma blanch, her hand retracting from his as she eyed him queerly. "For _all_ of us? What are you...? Oh God, you're _drunk."_

"With one scotch from the diner? Not in the slightest," he assured her. Twisting his lips, he took only a moment to decide she was ready for the inevitable, then reached into his blazer and began to feel around for what he desired. "Emma," he earnestly murmured, "I believe I'm ready to call in my favor."

This got the sheriff's attention, her eyes following the movements under his jacket as she furrowed her brows. "Um...your favor involves something in _there?_ Don't tell me you wanna see me in some sleazy lingerie, 'cause I don't do that for anyone's personal amusement... Not anymore, anyway."

Gold smiled, yet his appearance was almost melancholy. Now placing a warped, metallic object onto the table, he pushed it toward Emma and she balked.

It was a dagger.

"Uhh...you're giving me a weird blade with a _name_ on it? Yeeeah, I'm kind of confused, sorry." Lifting it up to inspect more closely, Emma felt her breath catch in her throat when she read the inscription. "Wait..._Rumpelstiltskin?_ What is this, some sort of joke?"

Gold frowned, his fingers drumming against the tabletop. It was too late to backpedal, so instead he lamely concluded, "I just need you to hold onto it for a while...then when I'm ready, I'll come by and pick it up."

"Um, am I allowed to ask _why?"_

Gold twisted his lips. "I'm afraid I cannot divulge enough to satisfy your curiosity, no."

"Ok, sooo I get a dagger with the same name you mentioned yesterday, and I'm not supposed to ask questions - are you messing with me?"

"Ah, Emma, if only it were that simple."

She groaned. "Ugh, I _hate_ it when you talk in riddles..."

"And _I_ hate it when you badger me for pointless information."

"Gee thanks, dick." Giggling at the perplexed look on Gold's face, she poured herself another glass of bourbon and sighed. "Ok, fine...I'll babysit your stupid dagger and _pretend_ to know what's going on. That sound feasible to you?"

"It's more cooperation than I expected, so yes," he agreed.

Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Well so much for thinking I'm a nice person - I'll remember that brush-off when I write my will." Downing her second glass, she gave a sigh of pleasure before suddenly appearing serious. Her blue eyes traveled to Gold's face, and she frowned before venturing, "Y'know, I've been meaning to ask you... Were you born with that limp, or did you get it from...from...?"

"The robbery? Yes," Gold bitterly supplied. His eyes were pained, and the smile he wore was melancholy at best. Moving as though he might finally take a drink, he instead pushed it further away and mumbled, "I tried to save him, but it was already too late... In a rage, I went chasing after the perpetrator, but he managed to fire a round right into my leg. My shin shattered on impact."

Emma suddenly felt sick, but she couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or his story. "Wow, um...I'm really sorry."

Gold grimaced. "What did I tell you about not wanting your pity, Miss Swan?"

"Pity?" She had to laugh, her features growing warm as she teased, "Trust me, Gold, I only pity you because of your archaic mannerisms. You couldn't even get a date with a vampire at this point."

When he quirked a brow instead of comprehending, Emma burst into a fit of laughter and pointed at him, exclaiming, "See? _See?_ You're so damn archaic you don't even get my jokes!"

Gold finally smiled too, but only because the sheriff was treating him like an equal opposed to a pariah. "Very well," he agreed, "I'll admit I'm a tad on the old-fashioned side. Perhaps you could teach me to be more, uh..."hip," I believe they say?"

Emma snickered. "Gold, people haven't said "hip" in years. Besides, the only time I could ever see you using that expression is if you _crack_ one."

"I am _not_ that old, thank you very much."

"No? Well that's a shame, 'cause I like older men."

Gold smirked. "Come now, I didn't think that "hip cracking" would constitute as a turn on for you."

Emma bit her lip in order to stave off another laugh, but she failed and melted into a fit of giggles. As she clapped a hand over her mouth, she suddenly realized that warm, resounding laughter was coming from Gold's side of the table, her eyebrows rising high as she finally managed to stop giggling. She couldn't recall having _ever_ seen Gold laugh, nor come even remotely close to it. But somehow? She had to admit the radiant warmth suited him.

"Tickled yourself there, did you?" she gibed, smiling wryly as he gave one last chuckle.

"Forgive me, I really don't know what came over me just now..."

Emma scoffed. "Why the heck are you apologizing? You're so uptight that you _need_ to laugh every once in a while."

"You know, some would say you're a tad on the uptight side, yourself."

"Hmm...touché." Rotating her empty glass in her hands, Emma watched Gold reach for his cane and frowned. "Hey, where are you going? I didn't offend you or anything, right?"

"No, no, but I'd best be on my way - it's getting late," Gold explained, not meeting her gaze as he limped toward the door.

Bewildered, Emma rose with a scrape of her chair legs, her voice soft as she urged, "Well let me at least see you out, ok? You're being a bit melodramatic with all this anti-social stuff."

Gold gave a tired smile. "Forgive me, I wasn't aware that needing rest constituted as being "anti-social." It would seem I have a lot to learn in the ways of modern etiquette."

"Well...if it makes you feel any better, you're well on your way compared to most old farts," Emma assured him, smirking as she walked up to him with her arms folded.

An awkward silence followed, then Emma's gazed softened as she urged, "Take care of yourself, ok?"

Gold appeared perplexed by her well-wishing, but he grew even _more_ bewildered when she pulled him in for a tight embrace. Her head was tucked against his shoulder, and he could feel her soft, warm breath caressing his neck as his arms slowly, awkwardly interlocked around her waist.

"I, um...thank you, Emma," he murmured, briefly tempted to smell the sweet vanilla of her hair. "It would probably be better for your reputation if you weren't seen hugging a snake, correct?"

Emma snorted. "Who cares what people think? It's not like I've got a sterling reputation to worry about, anyway." Releasing him with a wry smile, she added, "Besides, if Sidney were to get wind of this and snap a few pictures, it might do wonders for your love life. You'd amazed by how many women come out of the woodworks 'cause of envy."

"In my case? Yes, I would be." In Storybrooke people exercised caution around him, so Gold knew there'd never be some phantom girl to worry about.

Anxiously rubbing the back of his neck, he took a slight step back and nodded. "Goodnight, Miss Swan, and thank you for everything."

"Yeah sure, no problem - I'm the best damn dagger babysitter in town," she joked, grinning as she watched him limp off. Smile gradually fading as he disappeared from sight, she returned inside and curiously touched the dagger on the table. Why he'd asked her to hold onto such a thing she had no idea, but all she _did_ know was that she planned on keeping her word.

* * *

><p><em>Thump. Ba-bump.<em>

Jolting awake, Emma gasped and clutched at her heart, her eyes wildly scanning the room in order to see where the noise had come from.

The window...

Mouth agape, Emma felt panic-stricken as a dark, wiry figure entered her bedroom. Hand shakily feeling for any sort of weapon on her nightstand, her heart leapt with hope when her fingers closed around Gold's dagger. If this didn't stop the intruder, it would at the very least slow it down...

Holding her breath as the shadowed being crept closer, Emma grasped the dagger so tightly that the pattern indented her skin. Then, without warning, the figure lunged forward just as Emma shot up her arm, the blade making its mark with a sickening crunch of bone and muscle.

There came a pained cry, then a gurgle as the being fell directly on top of her. With a shriek, Emma rolled out from underneath the person and flicked on the light, a gut-wrenching screaming escaping her throat when she saw who was sprawled out across her bed.

"Oh, my God," she panted, "oh, my God..._Gold!_ What the hell were you _thinking?"_ Immediately rushing to the aid of his fallen body, she flipped him over and frantically inspected the wound. The dagger was still embedded deep inside his sternum, and his chest was rising and falling along with his labored breath.

"Emma," he wheezed, "Emma, I...I'm so sorry. There was no other way I could get you to believe."

_"Believe?_ Gold, what the hell are you talking about?" the sheriff demanded, fighting back tears as she realized how bleak things looked. Even if she pulled the dagger out, she knew there was a good chance the blade had nicked his heart.

Biting her lip, Emma sniffed and looked up to see that Gold was smiling. "What the hell is so _funny?"_ she hissed, finally giving in to her tears. "You're _dying,_ and there's nothing I can do about it!"

"You've done far more for me than you could ever know," he whispered, now reaching up and covering her hand with his. "My only regret is I didn't get you to see..."

Emma quivered. "See _what?"_'

"That Henry was right."

Eyes wide, the sheriff quaked and tried to make sense of his words. It was true that Gold had a blade with the same name he'd claimed as his own, but it didn't make sense - it _couldn't_ be true!

Suddenly entering a coughing fit, Gold's muscles spasmed and he twitched as his eyes rolled back in his head.

"No," Emma screamed, _"no!_ You can't die! I...I lo..." Unable to say it with words, she tearfully cupped his face and pressed her mouth against his. As Gold went slack in her arms, a warm glow ensconced their bodies and shot up toward the ceiling. The moment Emma removed her lips from Gold's to see what was happening, the room came crumbling down around them until all was black.

* * *

><p>"What's happening?"<p>

Looking to August in horror, Regina's eyes widened as a dull, pulsating ache began to throb within her breast. "No," she choked out, _"no!_ It's impossible...it can't be true!"

"What can't be true? What are you...?" Trailing off, August staggered back when Regina's body illuminated in a bright, almost blinding glow. Before his very eyes, cracks appeared across her body and revealed an almost lava-like center.

"H-help...me," she gasped, her eyes wide with terror.

"Regina!" he exclaimed, only to shield himself when she erupted in a shower of smoke and fine, black powder. Aghast, he rushed forward and dropped to his knees, desperately sifting through her ashes as the room caved in and swallowed him whole.

**A/N: **DUN DUN DUNNNN, one more chapter left! :D I can't believe I'm almost finished! It's taken me an entire season, but hey, I'm kinda slow. lol I may tack on an epilogue too, but I doubt it. I'm feeling lazy. ;) And I know some may find it weird that Emma cares about/loves Gold now, but sometimes it takes something like a near-death experience to realize that. ...Or to stop being so stubborn. :')

At this time, I'd like to thank my LOVELY reviewers. You're all so amazing, so THANK YOU!

**Supernatural-Girl17:** Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it!

**Emma Swan:** Oh yes, she's definitely pissed, but there's nothing she can do about it now! :') Thanks so much for reading!

**Socrpen:** Thank you! And I'm actually glad August isn't Bae, because I don't like him very much. :/ Love Baelfire, though. And I may have him come about in the final chapter, yes. :)

**ElizaSP:** Hey, you! :P Aww, is almost made you cry? I'm glad it was good enough to create that sort of emotional response! And I agree, that scene in 1x19 was fantaaaabulooous. ;)

**Emerald Imagination:** Thank yoooou, I'm so glad! And gosh, YES. The episode was wonderful! Definitely inspired me for the first couple of days after airing, but then as usual, I petered out. :P I'm scared that the finale will wreck my inspiration like Skin Deep did, so here's hoping I finish it soon!

**MonkeesDoctorWho1987:** Haha, thank you! I don't know why I decided to take it that route, but that's what came flowing out of my pen. Sometimes I just let my muse do all the talking, even if it's completely whack. :P Thanks for reading!

**Dr. Temperance Brennan:** Wow, really? Thank you, I'm so glad! And yeah, I pretty much thought August was Pinocchio before 1x19, but I guess it's because I was SERIOUSLY hoping he wasn't Bae. I don't like August enough to give him that honor. lol

**The Raven Ninja:** Aww, well thank you, I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

**Rock the Rain:** Haha, thank you! Hopefully this was a soon enough update for ya! :P

**AdonnennielZillah:** Wow, what a username, I had to double check the spelling several times, haha! :P And...because I'm a cruel, cruel person? xP lol I'm sorry! I didn't feel like writing an epic showdown between Regina and Emma (I'm feeling super lazy lately), so I just had her explode. LOL Hopefully that was good enough. :P

**Paranormal Moonlight:** LMAO! Well, she died in this chapter, so hopefully that met with your expectations. ;P I'm one of the few who can't stand her, so I guess it was mean of me to not give her redemption, but...eh. lol And Emma likes Gold now. :') haha Took him to die to realize it, but ain't that always the way? lol

**Musicalfan2012:** Aww, well thank you! I'm so glad it made your Sunday better! :P Hopefully this will make your Tuesday better, too. xP haha

**Ravenclaw992:** LMAO! Regina + annoying = expected when I write for her, sorry. :P Although she annoys me on the show, too, so I guess I'm staying true to character. xD I'm wondering, too! I heard a rumor that Emma would find out Gold's real name, which would be AWESOME, but at this rate it may take a bit more for her to believe... lol Thanks so muuuch for readiiing! :D

**NyraGrimm:** Thank you so very much!

**Fallenhope19:** Updated and ready to go! ;P Thanks so much for reading!


	12. Happily Ever Afters Do Come True

**A/N****: **Omg, can you BELIEVE I finally finished this flippin' story? 'Cause I sure as heck can't! lol Sorry about that, but I was SUPER uninspired. Matters weren't helping since the show had ended for the season, so...sorry? xD Plus, I'm almost 99.9% positive that Rumple isn't Henry's father, so that made me uninspired, as well. But whatever! At least I posted this update BEFORE the father origin episode aired, so this way I can be content with finishing my Gold-is-the-father story before all my hopes and dreams are shattered. :P

Although I'm not particularly pleased with this update, I just think it's high time I wrapped things up, and I'm pretty sure everyone has forgotten about this story by now. As a brief refresher, Emma stabbed Rumple with the dagger (by accident), and ended up kissing him/ending the curse. Now on with the present! Hope you enjoy!

**CH 12: Happily Ever Afters Do Come True  
><strong>

Emma's back arched with a gasp of air, her body jolting to the side just as she emptied her stomach onto the floor. A soft, lily-white pair of hands helped her move onto her backside, then they stroked the sweat from her face and brushed back her hair.

Vision hazy, Emma struggled to make out a sweet, gentle visage that tenderly gazed down upon her. "M...Mary Margaret?"

"Shh, rest now," came her soft response. "You've been out for almost a full day."

"A-a full _day?"_ Eyes wide, she grasped at the woman's wrist and hissed, "Gold...where is he?"

The woman appeared perplexed. "I'm sorry, darling, but there's no one in this realm who goes by that name."

_"Realm?_ What are you...?" Slowly trailing off, she took in her friend's appearance and realized she was wearing a long, flowy gown. Ok, so _that_ was new - Mary Margaret and fashion didn't coexist, so why had she chosen something so beautiful? And her hair...it was long and full of curled ringlets. How was that even possible?

"A-are you wearing a_ wig,_ Mary?"

The woman laughed, then turned her head and called, "Henry, darling, you can come in and see your mother now!"

There came the thud of exuberant footsteps, then a chipper boy dressed in a tunic came racing into the room..._her son._

Paling, Emma noted how his flesh was radiant and sparkled faintly in the light. What the hell had happened to his _skin?_

"Hey, mom!" he greeted, now coming up and taking her hand. "I knew you could break the curse - everything's back to normal now!"

"Whoa, hold up," Emma commanded, _"curse?_ Then you're trying to tell me that this...?" She pointed to Mary Margaret. "Is my _mother?"_

The woman smiled and touched her arm. "Yes, darling, it's me, Snow White. I'll admit I was hoping you'd return to us as a baby, what with time being frozen in this land, but your father and I will take you in any form with open arms."

Emma felt a lump form in her throat. "M-my father? Do you mean David?"

"No, sweetheart, I mean Prince Charming," she returned, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Don't you see? We can finally be a family again..."

"Mom?" Emma asked, her voice shuddery as she reached out and grasped the other woman's hand. "A-are you real?"

Snow sniffed and nodded. "Yes, darling, yes... I'm as real as the love I've always had for you. You're my baby, Emma, and nothing will ever change that."

Emma burst into tears, her hands covering her face as the rest of her walls came tumbling down. She could finally give in to her years of sorrow - she could finally be _weak_ - and as her mother soothed and stroked her hair, she realized she was exactly where she wanted to be.

At that moment, a tall and gruff-looking soldier came into the room and announced, "Queen Snow? I thought you would like to know that the Dark One is in poor health. He may not make it through the night."

Snow gave a sigh of relief. "At long last, our kingdom can truly be at peace..."

"Wait, who's the Dark One?" Emma demanded, looking to Henry for help. "C'mon, kid, don't hold back on me now, of all times..."

"He's Rumpelstiltskin," he earnestly explained. "Or as we know him, Mr. Gold."

_"Gold?"_ Immediately ripping back her sheets, Emma staggered to her feet and demanded, "Take me to him."

"B-but Emma..."

_"Now!"  
><em>_  
><em>Stunned, Snow urgently hissed, "But darling, he's _dangerous -_ why would you wish to see a man so evil and incapable of compassion?"

"Because that "evil man" just so happened to save all our lives," Emma bitterly fired back. "You may not like it, but we broke the curse..._together."_

Snow paled. "W-with true love's kiss?"

"Either that or the dagger, but since he's still alive, I'd say the kiss might've done it," Emma coolly agreed.

Snow bit her lip, her hands wringing as she shook her head. She'd seen the signs that Henry was Rumpelstiltskin's son, absolutely, but she hadn't wanted to believe that Emma was so foolish.

After a few moments of deliberation, she softly relented, "Then you must go to him... He may be dying, but I think you're more powerful than you know."

Emma gave her a funny look, instantly recalling a time when Gold had said something similar. Eyes softening, she mumbled, "Thanks, mom...really. Thank you for understanding."

"All I want is for you to have what Charming and I do," Snow returned, now kissing her daughter's cheek and sending her forward.

The soldier took this as his cue, and instantly began leading Emma to Rumpelstiltskin's cell.

* * *

><p>"Princess, <em>wait!<em> You must have a soldier with you at all times!"

Rounding about on the man, Emma curled her fists and fiercely shot back, "All my life I've done things on my own, so the same applies here, bucko! Stand down!"

"B-but princess, he's dan-"

_"Dangerous?_ He's _dying,_ so I fail to see how he'll be much of a threat," Emma seethed. Now continuing on without another word, she was relieved to find that the soldier had (wisely) chosen not to follow.

The corridor-like cave finally flared out, and there, right in the middle of the rocky cavern was an odd-looking cage. The bars were almost like teeth with plenty of space in between, so Emma couldn't understand why Rumpelstiltskin was unable to escape.

"Hello?" Emma called, only to jump when an inhuman snarl came from the cage. Upon further inspection, she realized that the growl had come from a golden, oddly-dressed creature who had features similar to Gold's. Every so often, his face would change from golden to human, thus indicating he kept transforming between his natural and former self.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" she beseeched, only to balk when he sprang forward with a growl. Hands wrapping around the bars, he stuck his head in between the rock formations and reached for her as though ready to attack, but Emma surprised them both when she took his hand and stroked the rough skin.

"Hey," she gently began, "it's me, Emma... You're going to be alright."

He gave a shrill, high-pitched giggle. "Emma, Emma, _Emma -_ yes, I know who you are! You've saved aaall the little people in the land!"

"No, _we_ saved it," she corrected him. "Don't you remember that?"

"Vaaaaugely...no," Rumpelstiltskin returned, only to giggle yet again. Pleased with her frustration, yet irritated by the fact she still wouldn't let go of his hand, he lurched forward with the hopes of frightening her into submission. To his bewilderment, Emma cradled his face in between her hands and smiled. Why the hell was she touching him? Why wasn't she _afraid?_

"Gold, you're one ugly son of a bitch," she teased, smile only widening as she pressed her forehead to his. "Ugh...and you smell like shit."

"Can't exactly _bathe_ in a place like this, now can I?" he viciously fired back, trying his best to squirm free of her grasp.

"C'mon, do you mean to tell me you can't remember what happened before the curse broke?" Emma asked. Although her tone came off as normal, her soft features betrayed the hurt she felt from this revelation.

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing in return, and fortunately for him, the dagger sticking out of his chest immediately diverted his lady love's attention.

"Rumple, the dagger...it's still in your chest!"

"Ahhhh, good to know our savior has brains," he snarkily shot back. With a wince, he coughed and dark, thick blood instantly stained his lips. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he gave a wry smile and purred, "Lucky you, dearie, for it seems that you will soon be the land's _new_ Dark One! What fun, what fun!"

Emma bristled. "Like hell, I will! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're going to live to a ripe old age."

"Ohhh, all eternity in this cavernous prison? _Delightful!"_

"I see your point," she agreed, "but you won't be facing it alone. I-I mean, I...in Storybrooke we, uh...um..." Cheeks coloring, Emma gave an exasperated shrug and confessed, "I don't know _what_ the hell we had together, but whatever it was, it was good enough to break the curse, and I...I guess I don't want to lose that."

Rumpelstiltskin appeared genuinely fearful, but the sheriff chalked it up as being part of his current predicament. "Don't worry," she gently assured him, "I won't let you die...you're safe here with me."

The imp snorted. "What am I, the fair maiden in distress? If you wore the pants in our relationship in Storybrooke, I'm not so sure I approve of this unholy union...although you _would_ look de-lightful in leather pants."

Emma smirked. "You don't have to worry about being a fair maiden in this realm, Rumple. I'd honestly be more concerned about being confused with a troll at this point."

"Ahh, she has beauty _and_ snark! How divine!"

"Are you being sarcastic?" she asked.

With a giggle, he cryptically assured her, "Well, I'm not _not_ being sarcastic."

"Don't make me wish you were dead..."

"Hmm, well it could certainly be arranged," Rumpelstiltskin crooned, now teetering back and forth as his appearance continued to vacillate.

"Y'know, you're a real pain in the ass in this world," Emma growled. Eyes softening, she reached through the cage and Rumpelstiltskin flinched. "Hold still," she urged, "I want to try and remove the dagger."

The imp appeared contemplative, then sardonically agreed, "Ahh, so your plan is to remove the blade that's nicked my _heart,_ and then let me bleed out! Gee, why didn't _I_ think of that?"

Emma appeared momentarily fearful, then she scowled and commanded, "I _said_ hold_ still._ You may not believe in me, but I'm at least going to try."

Rumpelstiltskin said nothing. He most certainly _did_ believe in her, and that was the problem - if she somehow managed to break his curse, he'd never be able to see his son again.

"Be careful with-"

"Shut up, you're ruining my concentration!" Emma snapped, her brows knitting in such a way to suggest her stress. "Oh, and try to breathe a little less...your chest's moving too much."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I _said_ shut _up!_ You sure don't know how to take directions in this realm, do you?" Gaze softening despite her fear, Emma then placed her free hand back against his chest and tugged at the dagger with the other.

Rumpelstiltskin gave a great cry and slumped forward, but before Emma could even think to ask if he was alright, a great beam of light shot from his injury and projected up into the roof of the cave.

Placing her hand over his wound to stop the bleeding, Emma furled her brows and asked, "What the hell is _that?"_

"A map! A map-map-mappety-map-_map!"_

"Ok, I think I heard you the first six times...what's it a map _of_, exactly?"

Gaze growing wistful, Rumpelstiltskin suddenly clutched at Emma's hand and smiled. "Home," he whispered, his eyes appearing tearful within the dim lighting. "That map leads to-"

"Benjamin?"

He breathed a laugh and said, "No, dearie... In this world his name is Bae."

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

"No. No fucking _way_ am I wearing that."

"But Emma, you're going to be hosting the ball! You can't very well hold court looking like...like..."

"Rumpelstiltskin?"

Snow made a face. "Well, I _have_ noticed how you've adopted his obsession with leather..."

"For your information, I rocked leather _long_ before I met him _or_ Gold," Emma pointed out. Now regarding the billowing gown once more, she sighed and asked, "So this'll just be for a few hours, right? And then I can go back to my top and pants?"

Snow smiled. "Yes, darling, you can wear nothing, for all I care - I just want you to be with us for this special occasion."

Emma had to laugh. "Wow, seriously? So I can go naked to this thing, and you definitely won't-?"

"Emma Elizabeth Swan!"

_"What?_ I was just testing my boundaries!" Laughing again, she held the blood-red gown up to her chin and shook her head. "I know I'm going to regret this, but for now I'll let you "girlify" me like you did in Storybrooke. Just go easy on the eye make-up this time around, would you? I don't wanna look like a hooker."

Snow's bottom lip grew petulant. "Darling, I really wish you wouldn't say things like that. A princess never-"

"God, you were _so_ much cooler before you became my mom," Emma cut in. Grinning in spite of herself, she nudged her mother and urged, "C'mon...make me look pretty."

Tucking her daughter's hair behind her ears, Snow beamed and acknowledged, "Now _that_ I can do."

* * *

><p>"Mom, look what Gramps gave me! A new <em>sword!"<em>

"That's nice, kid...couldja hold still a minute?" Distractedly craning her neck to see, Emma surveyed the grand ballroom in search of a particular visitor. Aside from herself, he _was_ the guest of honor, so he damn well knew he had to make it unless he wanted to suffer the consequences. She wouldn't let him live it down otherwise, and even the Dark One had his fears... Primarily those involving nagging, irritable blondes with pregnancy hormones.

"Mom, can I touch your stomach? I wanna see if baby Kaelyn will start kicking again."

Eyes softening, Emma nodded and stroked her son's hair. "Yeah, sure, kid - but do me a favor and don't get her kicking _too_ hard, ok? Last time you did, I had a bit of indigestion."

With a broad grin that spread across his ebullient, freckled face, Henry placed both hands on his mother's stomach and waited. He'd admittedly been shocked to hear that he'd soon be getting a baby sister, but once he'd gotten past the initial surprise, he'd been absolutely ecstatic.

"Ah, there's the bundle of hormones now!"

"Watch it!" Emma hissed, instantly knowing who was at her side. As she glared up at Rumpelstiltskin, she added in a much lower voice, "You're late...what took you so long? Were you visiting Bae in Neverland, again?" Shooing Henry off to go play with the other children, she reassembled her face and tried to appear patient.

"It's amazing to realize he'll never become a man," Rumpelstiltskin finally admitted, "but somehow I prefer it this way... He's still maintained the innocence of a child." Eyes growing distant, he softly added, "I'm still working on getting him to forgive me, but I obviously can't start over."

"Yes, you can." Smiling, Emma took his hand in hers and placed it over her baby bump. "As far as I'm concerned, you'll be a great dad. You can be a complete asshole sometimes, but everyone has their faults."

Rumpelstiltskin's stomach gave several agonizing flip-flops. Could he _really_ be a good father this time around? What if he failed again?

"I never should've touched you," he muttered. "I should've learned my lesson the first time around, but you can be quite the succubus when you want to be, dearie."

Emma sneered. "Gee thanks, _prick_ - this is one of those instances when you're being an asshole. But you know what? You're _my_ asshole-ish prick, and although I don't believe in all this true love bullshit, I'm definitely willing to give it a try."

Rumpelstiltskin chuckled. "Well, then! I'd say having a baby out of wedlock is an awfully good way to start."

"Shut up...you know how sensitive my parents are about that." Squeezing his hand, she warmly added as an afterthought, "Should we go hold court now? I've heard something crazy about us being the guests of honor..."

"Lead the way, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin urged, smirking as he followed after his blushing bride-to-be. This definitely wasn't the future that he'd anticipated, but somehow? For once he was content, and content he would remain for the rest of his days.

**A/N: **Aaaand, that's a wrap! FINALLY. I was getting sick of writing this crap-ola! lol I hope it was ok, regardless. :) You all have been absolutely AMAZING, and I've loved receiving such wonderful feedback from each and every one of you.

At this time, I'd like to thank you all individually. You're all seriously so awesome, so THANK YOU for your never-ending support!

**Musicalfan2012:** Welp, you got your wish - Gold didn't die! Yay! Haha, I could never kill off one of my favorite characters. ;) Well...that's a lie, but I still wouldn't kill off Gold! Thanks for always reviewing my story - you've been here since the very beginning, and I seriously appreciate that!

**Failisse:** Hahaha, and it was EXCEPTIONALLY "pure evil" since I left you guys waiting for so dang long. I'm REALLY sorry about that, btw. And I'll admit it, I like ending things on cliffhangers...maybe I really AM evil. *cries* But on the plus side, it's over! And Gold actually _had_ told Emma (inadvertently) that he was Henry's father and proved it. She just didn't want to believe it at first. :P

**AdonnennielZillah:** First of all, I hope I spelled your name right...I had to keep double-checking. XD Cool meaning, though - I love it! And haha, glad I'm forgiven. :P

**ElizaSP:** Eliza, dahling! Glad you thought they were in character. :) Also, I really wish Rumple had told Emma and Henry his name on the show! Ah, well, at least Emma was astute enough to guess...

**Ravenclaw992:** Daww, well fank ya! Glad you think so. :P Hopefully this ending was a decent enough cap-off to the story... I just kind of gave up after a while. lol Still enjoying your story, at least! It gives me my much-needed Gold x Emma fix!

**Dr. Temperance Brennan:** Haha, glad it was intense - I wasn't sure if it was decent enough. Hopefully you liked the ending, too! And thank you for being with me from the very beginning. I really appreciate that. :)

**The Green Eyed Cat:** Well, you got lucky! Gold's alive! ;)

**Supernatural-Girl17:** Thank you so much, I really appreciate that and your support!

**ParanormalMoonlight: **lmao! You're welcome! XD haha Though Regina's not as bitchy (on the show) as she used to be. Ah, well. And I brought Gold back, so I hope that made you happy. :P

**DamnationoftheDead:** LMAO! I totally didn't make that connection (Regina vs the fairy godmother). And Gold's alive, so hopefully all is well for you now. :P I could never kill my Goldilocks! lol

**KaicherAlfstan:** Haha, yep! Couldn't resist using true love's kiss in this. ;P

**MonkeesDoctorWho1987:** Was my ending exactly what you'd guessed? :) I'm so glad you liked this chapter! Thanks so much for sticking with me throughout this entire story. I've really appreciated your support and conversation!

**DarkFairy207:** Aww, well thank you! Sorry you were upset about Regina, but at least now everyone (mostly everyone) gets their happily ever after. :P Thanks for reading this with me from beginning to end! I really appreciate it!

**Rylee87:** I know, I'm evil, sorry. Dx But it's done now, so yay! Now more waiting! ...Though admittedly, I'm sure everyone's forgotten about this story by now, haha. It's my own fault. And LOLOLOL glad you liked that part, lmao. xD Thanks for being such an avid supporter of this story - it really means a lot!

**dontleavetonight:** I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting for forever and a year! Hopefully you enjoyed the ending - thank you so much for your kind words! :)


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